RE: New human top speed record and it´s biomechanical im

["John R.Hutchinson" <jrhutch@rvc.ac.uk>]

I heard about the -0.01s new record; always neat to have recorded limits
shaved off.  As I lately like to drone on about with paleo folks (and even
some biomechanists too), we know too little about maximal speeds in most
animals, including humans (know these best of all though). The 14.72m/s is
pretty specious as it's never been observed... but who knows.

Vladimimir Socha asks: "OK, my question concerning dinosaurs states: Would
better understanding of biomechanics in human body help understanding the
principles of locomotion in(often much larger) dinosaurs?"
--Absolutely; any improved understanding of how maximal performance relates
to anatomy and function in living tetrapods would be relevant to
understanding dinosaurs.  Mainly by establishing general principles of the
links between these factors. And facilitating better validation of models of
dinosaur function.

Agreed on the maximal vs. mean performance issue; I've made this point on
the list before. Maximal is usually a good percentage higher than the mean;
it has to be unless there's no acc/deceleration within a timed performance.

The dino speed estimates posted, as usual, are just made up out of thin air
or qualitative guesses based on anatomy, or weak scaling relationships based
on guesses of maximal speeds and their noisy correlations with anatomy for
living animals.  They're no better than any other guesses so far.  But that
doesn't mean they're necessarily wrong, yet science can surely do better.

--John Hutchinson