Â鶹Çø

Subscribe to the OSS Weekly Newsletter!

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