Jurassic Park

Teacher's Guide

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Introduction/Plot Summary

With a death shrouded in mystery Michael Crichton plants the seed of suspense that grows quickly throughout the novel: Look-a-like lizards that bit babies across the Costa Rica coast, slimy foaming saliva that covers the arm of a pretty young tourist. This is the First Iteration. This the first fractal curve. This is Jurassic Park.

When eccentric millionaire John Hammond convinced InGen, a company specializing in genetic engineering, to back his project, he told them nothing more than "consumer biologicals", showed them nothing more than a dwarf elephant, but promised them the world.

Through the brilliant work of geneticist Henry Wu, John Hammond was able to give them that world. A world never seen before by human eyes, a world of dinosaurs. By extracting blood from the stomachs of ancient mosquitoes-- trapped in amber--who long ago sucked the bloody meal from dinosaurs, Henry Wu becomes the first to recover dinosaur DNA. Reconstructing the DNA's missing fragments with pieces taken from closely related modern birds, reptiles, amphibians, Dr. Wu clones a dozen or so different types of dinosaurs for the most elaborate amusement park ever known to man.

Named after the period of time when Dinosaurs ruled the earth, Jurassic Park is built on a remote island, Isla Nublar, off the west coast of Costa Rica. Featured on the island are fifteen different types of dinosaurs, which supposedly have a total population number of two hundred and thirty-eight. The stars of the park, of course, are creatures such as the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Apatosaurs (commonly called Brontosaurus), Triceratops, Dilophosaurs, and the Velociraptors.

When a few freak accidents occur on the island, InGen investors begin to worry about the safety of the park's visitors. In an effort to prove his project will be a success John Hammond hires a few experts to tour Jurassic Park.

Alan Grant, paleontologist, and his associate, Ellie Sattler, a paleobotanist, cut short a dig in the Badlands of Snakewater, Montana to see the creatures whose bones were once the only things to prove their existence. Donald Gennaro, legal counsel for InGen, ends up missing his daughter's birthday to insure his company's investment. And Ian Malcolm, a new wave mathematician specializing in chaos theory, comes to add more than just a touch of pessimism and philosophy to the island scene.

Also accompanying the group is Dennis Nedry, a computer design expert, and two of John Hammond's grandchildren: Tim Murphy, an eleven-year-old dinosaur enthusiast, and his sister Alexis.

Greeted by John Arnold, head engineer of the park, and Robert Muldoon, famous hunter, now park warden, the tour of the Jurassic Park facilities begins, as does the adventure.

Problems, accidents and sabotage occur, causing malfunctions that set the animals free, leaving the humans to defend themselves in an atmosphere of chaos.

The scientists discover that the dinosaurs have been breeding--even though they're all females! What was first thought to be a population of 238 becomes a population of over three hundred!

Dennis Nedry, in an attempt to steal the secrets of Jurassic Park, causes the breakdown of the systems separating man and beast, sending carnivorous dinosaurs chasing after a meal of human flesh, while the island's guests race to save their lives and gain control of the Park.

Jurassic Park is an exciting adventure that will thrill readers of all ages with the return of the dinosaurs. The story gives life to, and spectacular images of, creatures that crossed the continents over 65 million years ago. With a fast pace, the story moves along, filling you with awe and capturing your imagination. What would happen if man and dinosaur met face-to-face? How much don't we know about dinosaurs?

In the 400 page novel, Crichton tears at the old images of sluggish, dumb, lizard-like beasts, and builds "birds" of prey with speed and animal intelligence. These new creatures created on the Isla of Nublar coincide with many of the new images that paleontologists today have of the dinosaur.

Another more modern view of dinosaurs that Jurassic Park takes, is in giving the creatures a semblance of a social structure. Dinosaurs that nest their young, hunt in packs, run in herds, and even migrate, put Michael Crichton's novel on the cutting edge of science and dinosaur knowledge.

Not only does Jurassic Park entertain, but it makes us confront many problems facing the world today. Problems of nature and the environment, the extinction of some species, the misuse of scientific technology, and the economics of science and medicine.

But most of all it's about letting our imagination run free and fast, like the rulers of the earth did 65 million years ago.

DISCUSSION AND WRITING

Discussion and Comprehension Questions

1. On page 91, Malcolm discusses how human beings perceive nature as a simple system, when it is in fact something complex. He mentions how this error has led to a man-made disaster in one case, but fails to continue his speech. Can you think of other cases where errors like this have led to some type of destruction.

2. Chaos Theory is a new mathematics that many people are beginning to discover and research. Find and analyze some more information about the topic, then refer back to the novel to see how Crichton used the principles in his book. You may want to re-read pages 73, 158, and 245.

3. In the introduction of the novel, Crichton quotes that "Biotechnology is going to transform every aspect of human life: our medical care, our food, our health, our entertainment, our very bodies..." Think of examples of how this is happening in each of the sections mentioned. What are other future possibilities?

4. List and discuss the three reasons Crichton gives in the introduction as to why the biotechnology revolution differs from the scientific revolutions of the past. How are they positive or negative? Can the negative aspects be averted?

5. Similar to big businesses moving into foreign countries in order to obtain cheap labor and avoid regulations set by this country, Crichton explains how genetical engineering companies are following suit (p.40). Discuss scenarios like this taking place throughout the world. What can be done to prevent businesses from doing this? In what ways did the building of Jurassic Park affect Costa Rica and its people?

6. The Jurassic fern, Serenna veriformans, described by Dr. Sattler (p.85) allows us to view plants of this time in a new light. It is an example of how elaborate and advanced they can really be. Give examples of how plants today protect themselves, and interact with other animals. How careless is man today in acknowledging this? Note, this can lead into topics of deforestation and destruction of plant diversity in the rain forests.

7. "The reason we know all the animals are female is that we literally make them that way: we control their chromosomes."

Though this quote was referring to controlling the sex of dinosaurs, it is linked to a growing scientific truth. Working with sperm and an egg scientists have already been able to produce test tube babies. Now it may be possible to predict and possibly control the outcome of a human embryo. Is this wrong? Should people be allowed to do this? Will parents soon be able to order hair color, height, and eyes along with the sex of their child? What are the possible problems that can arise? What are the benefits?

8. In the chapter "Version 4.4" (p. 120), Henry Wu presents John Hammond with a new, more domesticated version of the dinosaurs he created. Could Hammond have avoided catastrophe by adhering to Wu's wishes or was this simply another attempt to control nature? What are some of the changes that Wu wanted to make and why did he believe them to be important? What are changes that you would make in the dinosaurs created? Is it more important to give the people what they want or what is truth? Give some present day examples.

9. The quote, "a man can never step into the same river twice", is much like the following taken from the novel: "We haven't re-created the past here. The past is gone. It can never be re-created." Discuss the two quotes and their meaning. Give examples and state whether you agree or disagree with their underlying premise.

10. On page 170, Ian Malcolm discusses a special kind of geometry called Fractals. Simplified, fractals tell us that "things look almost identical at different scales." Give examples of things, like the mountain used by Malcolm, that have fractal shapes.

11. This novel is divided by seven fractal drawings called "iterations". What does that mean? How does Malcolm's explanation of fractal curves, and what they are, fit in with the pictures? How do these drawings and the quotes beneath them fit into the story line?

12. "Your whole life has the same shape as a single day." What does this mean to you? Do you believe it? If so, how has life or your day been so far?

13. Bioengineering companies are somewhat regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, patents, and permits. On page 200, Hammond explains how some businesses can be hampered by these things. Discuss why these procedures are necessary. A few examples are the Abortion pill, the AZT drug for AIDS, and other cancer drugs. Do these rules really make it harder to help mankind or simply harder to hurt mankind?

14. Narrow-minded thinking gives rise to what Malcolm calls "thintelligence". He believes that scientists tend to focus too much on whether they can do something rather than whether they should do something (p. 284). What are some of the results of today's thintelligence? How should scientists decide when to do something or not? How do you know when you are being thintelligent and how can you stop it?

15. "Discovery is always a rape of the natural world. Always." (p. 284). Give three examples against, and in support of, the statement. Which side do you believe is more correct?

16. "Thirty thousand years ago, when men were doing cave paintings at Lascaux, they worked twenty hours a week to provide themselves with food, and shelter, and clothing." Today men work more than twice as long to obtain the same things. How and why is this? Does this mean that advances have not been made?

17. On page 306, Ian Malcolm states that discipline and hard work are necessary to obtain and control something desired. Discuss with the class what their goals are, what discipline they will need to learn, what hard work they will have to complete, and what controls they will need to be successful. If they were to obtain their goals without discipline and hard work what would the consequences be? Note, this is a good plug for education.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES

Activities

Ask your students to go to the library to research the periods in which the dinosaurs existed. The Triassic period, 213 million years ago, the Jurassic period, 144 million years ago, and the Cretaceous period, 65 million years ago. How did they differ and what types of dinosaurs existed during these periods?

Jack Horner is a real paleontologist who has done extensive research on dinosaurs. He has led much of the current studies of dinosaurs and their social behavior. Instruct your students to write an essay on Dr. Horner and his discoveries.

After reading the book, the class might want to see the Stephen Spielberg film and discuss how it differs from the book and why it does.

VOCABULARY

Definitions

DNA

A long molecular chain made up of four different types of nucleotides or bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine). DNA, the abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid, is responsible for carrying information governing genetic characteristics.

Mesozoic Era

The period of time between 65 and 220 million years ago. This era is characterized by the appearance of flowering plants and the dinosaurs. The Mesozoic Era is divided into three time periods the Triassic Period, the Jurassic Period, and the Cretaceous Period.

Triassic Period

The first period of the Mesozoic Era occurring 180 to 220 million years ago. This period is characterized by severe volcanic activity and the birth of the very first dinosaurs.

Jurassic Period

The second period of the Mesozoic Era occurring 135 to 180 million years ago. This period is the one referred to in the phrase "when dinosaurs ruled the earth" because they were the dominant species that existed at the time.

Cretaceous Period

This final period occurred 65 to 135 millions years ago. It is this era that a majority of the dinosaurs in the novel belonged to. It is also the period in which the dinosaurs became extinct.

Paleontology

The science of studying previous forms of life represented by fossil discoveries. From these fossils paleontologists try to obtain information about evolution and creatures that existed millions of years ago.

Paleobotany

The branch of paleontology dealing with plants and their fossil remains. Paleobotanists are able to determine the types of plants that existed during the different eras of earth's history.

Fossil

Refers to the remains or impressions of an animal or plant from a previous era. Fossils can come in the form of footprints, buried skeletons, or casts made by rock.

Vertebrate

A class of animals composed of those having a backbone or spinal column, and a brain enclosed in a skull or cranium. This class consists of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.

Mammals

The animals of this vertebrate sub-group give birth to living young rather than eggs. They feed their young milk from female mammary glands and tend to be covered with hair.

Reptiles

Cold-blooded creatures of the vertebrate class. Reptiles tend to lay their young in eggs. Though some do remain to take care of their young many do not. Their skin is usually scaly and slimy.

Amphibians

Any cold-blooded vertebrate, such as frogs or salamanders, that at birth are typically aquatic, breathing by gills. When these creatures reach adulthood they change into terrestrial or land animals that breath with lungs and through their skin.

Herbivore

An animal that feeds solely on plants.

Carnivore

An animal that eats the flesh of other animals.

Genes

A segment of DNA that codes for a particular physical or biological characteristic.

Genetic Engineering

The science of manipulating DNA and its genes in order to change or create certain characteristics in an organism.

Cloning

The process of copying or creating identical cells or DNA molecules from a single cell or DNA strand.

Chromosome

A compact structure in the cell containing a long piece of DNA.

Embryo

The earliest stage of development for a plant or animal, usually found in the seed of the plant or the uterus of the animal.

BEYOND THE BOOK

Museums and Resources

The following Museums can supply you with information on dinosaurs. They also have exhibits of bones and footprints, the makings of a good class trip or outing. The museums are listed by state, find one near you and pay it a visit.

Arizona

Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff

California

U. of Caliornia Museum of Paleontology

Berkeley Country Museum of Natural History

Los Angeles Dinamation International Corporation, Irvine


Colorado

Natural History Museum, Boulder

Museum of Natural History, Denver

Connecticut

Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven

Dinosaur State Park, Rocky Hill

Illinois

Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago

Massachusetts

Pratt Museum, Amherst

Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge

Harvard Museum of Natural History, Cambridge

Boston Museum of Science, Boston

Michigan

Exhibit Museum, Ann Arbor

Michigan State University Museum, East Lansing

Minnesota

Science Museum, St. Paul

Montana

Museum of Rockies, Bozeman

Nebraska

University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln

New Jersey

Museum of Natural History, Princeton

New York

Museum of Science, Buffalo

American Museum of Natural History, New York City

Ohio

Natural History Museum, Cleveland

Oklahoma

Stovall Museum, Norman

Pennsylvania

Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia

Texas

Memorial Museum, Austin

Museum of Natural Science, Houston

Utah

Dinosaur National Monument, Jensen

Washington, D.C.

National Museum of Natural History

Smithsonian Institution

Wyoming

Geological Museum, Laramie

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

Teacher's Guide by Gregory DuQuella. DuQuella received his degree in Biochemistry from Ithaca College. He taught chemistry at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., and is currently attending medical school at Tufts University in Boston.