Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
himself in a slew of scientific papers. He was a magnet for those who wanted
to learn about how animals wotk. Walking into Tom's lab was like walking
into a hurricane: noisy, energizing, exhilarating, chaotic.
The man himself was perched in an alcove piled with papers and elec-
tronics. Fueled by sugar, caffeine, and cigarettes, he barely touched the floor
while walking. Tranquility was not part of this package. Humot was. The lab
ran on laughter and tespect. It emanated good feeling, and it genetated good
science.
"What can I do for you two boys?" Such was our introduction to Tom
Daniel.
Virtual ammonites
We had brought several ammonite specimens for Tom to peruse. We ex-
plained that the complex septa had for centuries been considered structural
supports but that we had our doubts. What did he think? Tom spent several
minutes turning over the specimens, looking at the septa, muttering to him-
self, singing songs, and trying out various accents. Then he pronounced,
"Well, they certainly weren't used for strengthening the shell." Thus began a
4-year collaboration that continues still.
Saunders and I convinced Tom Daniel that the "ammonite suture
problem" was important. Perhaps to humor us, or perhaps because he saw the
beauty and mystery in such complexity, Tom decided to take on this prob-
lem, but in an interesting fashion. He decided to test those aspects of shell
sttength that wete related to sutural complexity not on actual specimens,
and not even on models made of some bioplastic or other casting material.
He decided to build what we would eventually call "virtual ammonites" on
computers.
A year or so before our arrival with fossils in hand, Tom Daniel had
been awarded a grant for equipping his department with Silicon Graphics
workstations. The year before, these computers had gained instant notoriety
when they were used by the creators of Spielberg's
Jurassic Park
to bring the
film's stars—the dinosaurs—to life. Tom's acquisition of so many of these
