Computational Biomechanics Research Group

	11th April, 2008 'Crash-tested' skulls throw light on extinctions National Geographic News by Emma Young http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/mg19826516.100-crashtested-skulls-throw-light-on-extinctions.html STEPHEN WROE'S lab is no place to be alone in the dark. Propped against a wall is a massive set of jaws from a great white shark. On shelves above the desk are skulls that once belonged to other fearsome animals - a sabre-toothed cat, a clouded leopard, a "Tasmanian tiger". Watch an exclusive video about 3D modelling of skulls
	18th April, 2008 Komodo Dragon's bite is "weaker than a house cat's" National Geographic News by Carolyn Barry http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080418-komodo-dragons.html The world's largest living lizard, the fearsome Komodo dragon, has a bite weaker than a house cat's, researchers say.
	18th January, 2008 Marsupial lion was a fast killer The Australian by Leigh Dayton http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23069545-30417,00.html AUSTRALIA'S extinct marsupial lion was a quick kill artist that dispatched its prey faster and more efficiently than living African lions.
A lion skull (A) deals well with the forces from thrashing prey. But a Smilidon's jaw lights up with stress from the shaking (B), twisting (C) and pulling-back (D) of prey.	1st October, 2007 Sabre-toothed cats were weak in the jaw Nature news by Daniel Cressey http://www.nature.com/news/2007/071001/full/news071001-2.html Toothsome, not to mention fearsome, sabre-toothed cats actually had quite a weak bite, according to research that has implications for our understanding of how the animals hunted.
A new computer model reveals how much force was generated by the sabre-tooth cat's bite (Image: John Conway)	1st October, 2007 Sabretooth's surprising weak bite BBC News by Johnathan Amos http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7023644.stm The sabretooth tiger may have looked a fearsome sight with its massive canines but its reputation takes something of a knock with a new piece of research.
The thylacine had a greater bite force than the dingo (Image: UNSW)	7th September, 2007 Dingo had measure of Tassie tiger BBC News by Johnathan Amos http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6984080.stm Scientists have digitally crash-tested the predator performance of two Australian icons - the feral dingo dog and the extinct Tasmanian "tiger".
	6th September, 2007 Tiger's demise: dingo did do it The Sydney Morning Herald by Richard Macey http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/tigers-demise-dingo-did-do-it/2007/09/05/1188783320057.html Scientists investigating the disappearance of the Tasmanian tiger from mainland Australia 3000 years ago have found damning evidence against a key suspect. It seems the dingo did it.
Carcharodon carcharias White shark	27th July, 2007 Measuring the great white's bite Cosmos Magazine by Samantha Medina http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/1499 Mighty bite: The researchers used a CT scanner to to generate 3-D images of a recently-netted great white's internal anatomy. Now they are plugging the data into sophisticated computer software to reveal the fish's maximum bite force.
Dr. Wroe with the shark	25th July, 2007 Great white's migthy bite to be revealed UNSW News by Dan Gaffney http://www.science.unsw.edu.au/news/great-white-s-mighty-bite-to-be-revealed/ Scientists are using sophisticated computer software to determine the "bite force" of a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) netted near the coast of Sydney.
	13th July, 2007 Snout shape evolves with diet Discovery Channel by Anna Sellah http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/07/13/snout_ani.html?category=animals&guid=20070713110030 Similar diets have led to the evolution of similar snout shapes in a range of unrelated animals, say Australian researchers. "Animals that had long skinny snouts tend to eat plants or small prey," says Dr Stephen Wroe of the University of New South Wales. "Those with short broad snouts tended to be true carnivores and eat large prey."
Dr Wroe: Examined "a great natural experiment"	10th May, 2004 Past predators not found wanting BBC News by Johnathan Amos http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3683627.stm Australia's ancient lands had their fair share of big, fierce carnivores, a Sydney team of researchers argues.
Thylacoleo carnifex Marsupial lion	5th March, 2004 Extinct Australian "Lion" Was Big Biter, Expert Says National Geographic News by Bijal P. Trivedi http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/03/0305_040305_TVsuperpredator.html Two million years ago bizarre creatures roamed the Australian continent—the flesh-eating giant rat-kangaroo, the thunder bird, the marsupial wolf, and a giant monitor lizard. But these animals have never taken center stage in the public's imagination or even the scientific community like the large prehistoric creatures of other continents—in part, because a poor fossil record revealed few specimens that looked either large or ferocious.
Thylacinus cynocephalus Tasmanian tiger	4th November, 2003 Dog doubts over Tasmanian tiger BBC News by Johnathan Amos http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3237791.stm The dingo it seems had an accomplice in driving the Tasmanian "tiger" off mainland Australia - human hunters.
Human hunting does not tell the whole story (Image by BBC Bristol Design)	17th September, 2003 Monster marsupial's weight gain BBC News by Johnathan Amos http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3113932.stm The largest marsupial that ever lived was even bigger than we thought, Australian scientists say.