Emma Schachner: How Did Dinosaurs' Lungs Help Them Dominate The Earth For So Long?

Part 4 of the TED Radio Hour episode Breathe

Dinosaurs ruled Earth for 180 million years, but to dominate they had to outcompete a slew of other animals. Paleontologist Emma Schachner thinks their lungs could have been the competitive advantage.

About Emma Schachner

Emma Schachner is an anatomy professor and researcher at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. She specializes in the 3D digital modeling of anatomy from CT and MR images, as well as scientific illustration, which merges anatomy, art, and scientific communication.

Schachner's research uses an interdisciplinary approach to study the soft tissue and skeletal anatomy of a broad range of animals including alligators, chameleons, parrots and ostriches. She uses these data to reconstruct the biology of extinct reptiles, particularly dinosaurs and crocodilians.

She received her master's degree in paleobiology at the University of Bristol and her PhD in evolutionary anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania.

This segment of TED Radio Hour was produced by Matthew Cloutier and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour and Jeff Rogers. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.