SAVILE SCIENCE TALK – PROFESSOR MICHAEL J. BENTON – THE COLOUR OF DINOSAURS: HOW A SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION IS REWRITING PALAEONTOLOGY. CHAIRED BY SAVILIAN CLIFF COLLIS.

How can we know how dinosaurs behaved without a time machine? Can we ever work out what they looked like, how they fed, ran, sensed their environments, and communicated with each other?

Until recently, much discussion of dinosaur habits was entirely speculative. But in the last 30 years, remarkable new fossils and remarkable new technologies have revealed unexpected information about dinosaur lifestyles. Leading palaeontologist Michael Benton explains how the study of dinosaurs has transformed into a true scientific discipline. New technologies have revealed secrets locked in prehistoric bones that no one could have previously predicted. We can now work out the colour of dinosaurs, the force of dinosaurs’ bites, their top speeds, and even how they cared for their young. CT scans of dinosaur skulls reveal their brains, nerves, and sensory systems, showing how they sensed the world and each other. Remarkable new fossil finds, such as dinosaur eggs with skeletons of the embryos inside from Patagonia and dinosaurs with feathers from China, provide remarkable new information.

Michael will trace the development of the study of dinosaurs from its roots in antiquated natural history to an indisputably scientific field, and explain why, though extinct, dinosaurs are still very much a part of our world.

Michael J. Benton is Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University of Bristol and the author of Dinosaurs Rediscovered (Thames & Hudson) and Dinosaur Behavior; an Illustrated Guide (Princeton University Press). His many previous books include standard reference works, textbooks, and popular books on dinosaurs and the history of life. He was elected as Fellow of the Royal Society in 2018 for his scientific research and awarded an OBE in 2021 for his work in science outreach and engagement.

Cliff Collis has a wide background in science with a doctorate in fish neurophysiology and researching in and teaching physiology and biochemistry at UCL and Kings College London. He also worked as a communication specialist doing knowledge/issue management in Roche drug development and finally was the professional registers and training manager at the Royal Society of Biology. He has always been passionate about promoting interest and understanding in science and was very pleased to be able to continue to do this in Savile Science, where he has organised talks on such diverse topics as Mars rovers, the psychological benefits of music, microplastic pollution and cyber security. Several members have given talks as well, and members are invited to offer suitable talks or suggest speakers.