How T-Rex helped scientists develop a life-saving device

The heart of a humpback whale, a kangaroo’s reproductive system, the jagged, needle-like proboscis of the mosquito and a Peregrine falcon’s lung mechanics: all these have something in common. Their unique functions have inspired life-saving medical interventions for humans.

While the world of biomimicry, where the natural world inspires design solutions, is well known, British physician Matt Morgan’s One Medicine explores what animals can teach us about saving lives. Morgan begins his journey by examining a patient who suffered a cardiac arrest after a piece of biscuit went into his lungs instead of the stomach. The case made him wonder how birds, who often inhale food that could block their lungs while flying, survive similar situations. As he finds out, it’s because of a coaxial breathing system, where, instead of the air going in and out of one tube, it moves in a circular path. Even if an object gets lodged, a bird’s lungs have multiple areas of gas exchange that allow the oxygen to be extracted via tiny capillaries called parabronchi. One Medicine is full of such fascinating stories.

One of the examples Morgan chooses goes back 80 million years—that of the Tyrannosaurus rex. Researchers believe the T-Rex had an air conditioner inside its head. A system of blood vessels that would cool its brain when it was too hot and warm it up when it was too cold. Today, the RhinoChill system uses a similar technique to provide emergency brain cooling for cardiac arrest patients. This portable, battery-powered system can reduce the chances of brain damage by almost a third.

There are other animals Morgan focuses on, which many of us would not think of as life-saving specimens. In Kenya, he finds that the Masai giraffe’s anatomical and physiological adaptations have influenced how humans deal with brain injury, asthma and blood circulation in extreme gravity. Current and future astronauts will survive space travel thanks to “gravity suits” that are inspired by the giraffe’s super stretchy skin.

In 2019, Morgan wrote Critical: Science and Stories from the Brink of Human Lifewhich focused on intensive care medicine. One Medicine feels like an extension of the earlier book, except this time, Morgan has decided to look outwards rather than inwards. Morgan’s writing is funny and informative, while emphasizing the need to protect wildlife and life around us. He discusses meat alternatives and why it’s important to think of animals as life that lives alongside us. “Stop meeting animals as meat, as only items on your plate,” he writes. One Medicine is a reminder that the animal kingdom is an exciting place, with many wonders yet to be discovered. Somewhere, somehow, an animal—no matter how big or small—can save your life.

Nitin Sreedhar is a Delhi-based writer.