º£½ÇÉçÇø

Subscribe to the OSS Weekly Newsletter!

Searching for the Fountain of Youth

Lecture given by Dr. Joe Schwarcz

Dung Theory?

Perhaps you may remember the scene in Jurassic Park III where the dung-covered main characters attempt to retrieve a satellite phone from a gigantic heap of dinosaur dung. It seems the dung saved these characters’ lives! Once the Ceratosaurus sniffed the smelly dung-covered humans, it simply walked away.  Is there any real science here? Interestingly enough, there may be an evolutionary connection between dung and the fight or flight response. There’s a theory that in times of danger, the fight or flight response physiologically causes urination and diarrhea. Supposedly then, when danger presents in the form of a predator, an individual covered in vomit, diarrhea and urine would be an unsuitable prey, thus leading to their salvation. So, should you encounter a bear or lion in the wild, those bodily fluids you jettison may just save your life.

Back to top