Computational Biomechanics Research Group

	2nd Decembre, 2010 Great white shark's jaw weakness revealed BBC news by Victoria Gill http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9247000/9247603.stm Until they are mature, great white sharks are not such formidable predators At up to 3m in length, adolescent great white sharks certainly look like formidable predators. But until they reach maturity, the sharks have surprisingly weak jaws, according to researchers.
	24th November, 2010 Marsupial carnivores 'as diverse as other mammals once' BBC news http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11824762 They are an extraordinary and now rare group of animals but Earth has had some formidable marsupial carnivores.
	18th August, 2010 'Terror bird' was prize fighter BBC news by Jonathan Amos http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11013735 They are popularly called "terror birds", and with good reason. The giant, flightless beasts that roamed South America for more than 50 million years following the demise of the dinosaurs were fearsome predators. New research shows the birds' huge beaks could deliver swift and powerful pecks, very probably killing their victims in one blow before ripping the flesh from their bodies.
	22nd June, 2010 Who are you calling weak? Human jaws are surprisingly strong and efficient Discover. Science, technology and the future by Ed Yong http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2010/06/22/who-are-you-calling-weak-human-jaws-are-surprisingly-strong-and-efficient/comment-page-1/#comment-14597 Stephen Wroe has built a career out of analysing some of the planet’s most formidable skulls. His group at the University of New South Wales have studied the strength, sturdiness and biting power of the sabre-toothed cat, the great white shark, and the Komodo dragon. Now, he has turned his attention to a predator whose skull is far less impressive but yields surprises all the same – us.
	16th October, 2008 The ultimate assassin Channel 9, 60 Minutes by Peter Overton http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/stories/peteroverton/648165/the-ultimate-assassin Here's some chilling news. Just what you want to hear as you head back to the beach this summer. Sharks are not only deadly, they're smart, too. And the one we fear most, The Great White, is the smartest of them all. That's what the experts are telling us, based on the latest research into the predator's brain and its thought patterns.
	20th May, 2009 Venom is Komodo dragon's lethal weapon Times Online by Anne Barrowclough http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article6316672.ece The Komodo dragon is not just the largest living lizard, but also one of the most venomous creatures on Earth, scientists have discovered. The carnivorous animal, which can tear its prey apart, kills with venom rather than bacteria-laden bites, as scientists had always believed. Komodo dragons are venomous killers
	11th April, 2008 'Crash-tested' skulls throw light on extinctions New Scientist 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.