Paleontology, Feb 1st, Period 7

[dr-tommy.livejournal.com]

On Tommy's desk are several bags of movie popcorn and cans of Coke for the students to grab as they come in.

"Easy class today, guys. We're just watching a movie. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean you're not gonna get away without a homework assignment. On Monday, I want you to come to class with one- or more, if you're feeling ambitious- complaint about the science of the movie."

Tommy pops in a DVD of Triassic Gardens, turns off the lights, and sits at his desk as the movie plays.

Comments

Discussion!

[dr-tommy.livejournal.com]

Watch and mock the movie here.

Re: Discussion!

[janet_fraiser]

"Cloning dinosaurs?" asked Janet. She snorted. "Let's just start with the concept of retrieving viable strands of DNA from the Triassic era and move on to the concept of fusing them with modern amphibian DNA and then excepting something with more reptilian characteristics than amphibious."

Re: Discussion!

[sharon-valerii.livejournal.com]

"Cloning humans Cylons would be easier, wouldn't it?" Sharon threw a piece of pocorn at the screen. "Run, you idots!"

Re: Discussion!

[janet_fraiser]

"Much easier. For one thing, you don't have to worry about finding viable DNA for an extinct species. I mean, it's just not possible, whatever the movie says. And also, shouldn't all the dinosaurs in the garden be genetically identical?" Janet's just a little adamant about this subject. "They can't breed without serious genetic defects popping up in the first generation!"

She went and got some popcorn and Coke, which she'd forgotten to do at the start of class. "Though could you imagine the problems with cloning humans? What if you cloned someone that wasn't dead yet?"

Re: Discussion!

[sharon-valerii.livejournal.com]

Sharon considered this for a moment, eyes going distant. "An army of me... Now that'd be strange."

Re: Discussion!

[janet_fraiser]

Janet eyed Sharon. "Not really what I was thinking, but yes," she said. "Incredibly odd. Though how would you transfer consciousness from one clone to another? If you even could. Think of the storage capacity requirements."

Re: Discussion!

[sharon-valerii.livejournal.com]

"Micro-chips." Sharon frowned, considering. "Or some sort of sub-sonic transmitter. On the instant one dies, another is given her memories?"

Re: Discussion!

[janet_fraiser]

"So a sort of automated consciousness download?" asked Janet. "That could work. You'd need some sort of memory retrieval device from the dead clone, though."

Re: Discussion!

[kawalsky.livejournal.com]

"I think it's cool. I mean, sure, it's not going to be totally right. If it was, it wouldn't be fiction, and there'd be people out there right now cloning dinosaurs and putting them on islands. But they did a good job of making it kinda believable. I mean, in some universe it could work I guess. At least they didn't use the same old excuse of 'Hey dinosaurs, how'd you get them?' 'Magic!'"

Re: Discussion!

[bruiser-in-pink.livejournal.com]

"Yay! Dinosaurs!"