ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nizar Ibrahim - Paleontologist
Nizar Ibrahim scours Northern Africa for clues to what things were like there in the Cretaceous period. A 2015 TED Fellow, he has spearheaded the recent search for the semi-aquatic dinosaur Spinosaurus.

Why you should listen

Paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim, a postdoc at the University of Chicago, wanted to uncover the mystery of the Spinosaurus, a gigantic predatory dinosaur whose only known remains were lost during World War II. After identifying a new skeleton at a dig in North Africa, Ibrahim made the landmark conclusion that the Spinosaurus may have been the largest carnivorous dinosaur to ever live. Its crocodile-like head, dense bones, short legs, and wide, paddle feet suggest it was a water dweller unlike any other. “The entire skeleton has water-loving river monster written all over it,” he says.

Ibrahim is a TED Fellow and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer.

More profile about the speaker
Nizar Ibrahim | Speaker | TED.com
TEDYouth 2014

Nizar Ibrahim: How we unearthed the Spinosaurus

Nizar Ibrahim: Kako smo otkrili spinosaurusa

Filmed:
1,044,658 views

Mesojed dug 15 metara koji je svoj plen lovio u rekama pre 97 miliona godina - spinosaurus je "zmaj iz davnih vremena". Paleontolog Nizar Ibrahim i njegov tim našli su nove fosile, skrivene u pustinji Sahari u Moroku, i ti fosili nam pomažu da naučimo više o prvom dinosaurusu koji je plivao - i koji je možda bio i najveći dinosaurus mesojed uopšte.
- Paleontologist
Nizar Ibrahim scours Northern Africa for clues to what things were like there in the Cretaceous period. A 2015 TED Fellow, he has spearheaded the recent search for the semi-aquatic dinosaur Spinosaurus. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
These dragonsзмајеви from deepдубоко time
are incredibleневероватан creaturesстворења.
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Ovi zmajevi iz davnih vremena
su predivna stvorenja.
00:17
They're bizzarrebizzarre,
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Bizarni su,
00:19
they're beautifulЛепа,
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predivni su
00:20
and there's very little
we know about them.
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i o njima znamo veoma malo toga.
00:23
These thoughtsмисли were going
throughкроз my headглава
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Ove misli prolazile su mi kroz glavu
00:26
when I lookedпогледао at the pagesстранице of
my first dinosaurdinosaurus bookкњига.
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kada sam gledao po stranicama
moje prve knjige o dinosaurusima.
00:30
I was about fiveпет yearsгодине oldстари at the time,
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Tada sam imao oko pet godina
00:33
and I decidedодлучио there and then
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i tada sam odlučio
00:35
that I would becomeпостати a paleontologistpaleontolog.
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da ću postati paleontolog.
00:37
PaleontologyPaleontologija allowedдозвољен me
to combineкомбиновати my love for animalsЖивотиње
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Paleontologija mi je
omogućila da kombinujem
svoju ljubav prema životinjama
00:41
with my desireжеља to travelпутовање to
far-flungdaleke cornersuglove of the worldсвет.
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sa željom da putujem
u udaljene krajeve sveta.
00:45
And now, a fewнеколико yearsгодине laterкасније,
I've led severalнеколико expeditionsекспедиције
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Sada, nekoliko godina kasnije,
vodio sam nekoliko ekspedicija
00:48
to the ultimateкрајњи far-flungdaleke cornerугао
on this planetПланета, the SaharaSahara.
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do najudaljenijeg od udaljenih krajeva
na ovoj planeti, Sahare.
00:54
I've workedрадио је in the SaharaSahara because
I've been on a questpotraga
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Radio sam u Sahari
jer sam bio u potrazi
00:58
to uncoverOtkrijte newново remainsостаје of
a bizarrebizarno, giantгигант predatorypredatorski dinosaurdinosaurus
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da otkrijem nove ostatke
bizarnog, ogromnog dinosaurusa,
01:03
calledпозвани SpinosaurusSpinosaurus.
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grabljivice zvane spinosaurus.
01:06
A fewнеколико bonesкости of this animalживотиња
have been foundнашао
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Pronađeno je nekoliko kostiju
ove životinje
01:09
in the desertsпустиња of EgyptEgipat
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u pustinjama Egipta
01:11
and were describedописани about 100 yearsгодине agoпре
by a Germannemački paleontologistpaleontolog.
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i pre oko 100 godina ih je opisao
nemački paleontolog.
01:16
UnfortunatelyNa žalost, all his SpinosaurusSpinosaurus bonesкости
were destroyedуништено in WorldSvet WarRat IIII.
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Nažalost, sve njegove kosti spinosaurusa
uništene su u Drugom svetskom ratu.
01:21
So all we're left with are just
a fewнеколико drawingsцртежи and notesбелешке.
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Sve što nam je ostalo
je nekoliko crteža i beleški.
01:25
From these drawingsцртежи,
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Iz ovih crteža,
01:27
we know that this creatureстворење, whichкоја livedживели
about 100 millionмилиона yearsгодине agoпре,
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znamo da je ovo stvorenje,
koje je živelo pre oko 100 miliona godina,
01:30
was very bigвелики,
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bilo veoma veliko,
01:32
it had tallвисок spinesbodlje on its back,
formingформирање a magnificentвеличанствено sailjedro,
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imalo je velike bodlje na leđima
koje su činile predivno jedro,
01:35
and it had long, slendervitke jawsчељуст,
a bitмало like a crocodilekrokodil,
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vilica mu je bila duga i uska,
pomalo nalik na krokodila,
01:41
with conicalKonusni teethзуби,
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sa zubima konusnog oblika
01:43
that mayможе have been used
to catchулов slipperyклизаво preyплен, like fishриба.
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kojim je možda lovio
klizav plen, poput ribe.
01:48
But that was prettyприлично much
all we knewзнала
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Ali to je bilo sve što smo znali
01:50
about this animalживотиња for the nextследећи 100 yearsгодине.
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o ovoj životinji narednih 100 godina.
01:58
My fieldworkrad na terenu tookузела me to the borderграница regionрегион
betweenизмеђу MoroccoMaroko and AlgeriaAlžir,
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Moj terenski rad odveo me je
do graničnog predela
između Maroka i Alžira,
02:03
a placeместо calledпозвани the KemJeadaptacija novele Kem KemJeadaptacija novele Kem.
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do mesta zvanog Kem Kem.
02:05
It's a difficultтешко placeместо to work in.
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To je teško mesto za rad.
02:08
You have to dealдоговор with sandstormspeљиane oluje
and snakesзмије and scorpionsсцорпионс,
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Imate posla sa peščanim olujama
i zmijama i škorpijama
02:11
and it's very difficultтешко to find
good fossilsFosili there.
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i tamo je veoma teško
naći dobre fosile.
02:15
But our hardтешко work paidплаћени off.
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Ali naš težak rad se isplatio.
02:17
We discoveredоткривени manyмноги incredibleневероватан specimensпримерака.
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Otkrili smo mnogo sjajnih primeraka.
02:20
There's the largestнајвеће dinosaurdinosaurus boneкост
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Tu je najveća kost dinosaurusa
02:21
that had ever been foundнашао
in this partдео of the SaharaSahara.
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koja je ikada pronađena
u ovom delu Sahare.
02:25
We foundнашао remainsостаје of giantгигант
predatorypredatorski dinosaursdinosaurusi,
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Pronašli smo ostatke
ogromnih dinosaurusa grabljivica,
02:28
medium-sizedsrednje veličine predatorypredatorski dinosaursdinosaurusi,
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dinosaurusa grabljivica srednje veličine
02:31
and sevenседам or eightосам differentразличит kindsврсте
of crocodile-likekrokodil-kao huntersловци.
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i sedam ili osam razlčitih vrsta
grabljivica nalik krokodilima.
02:37
These fossilsFosili were depositeduplaćen
in a riverрека systemсистем.
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Ovi fosili su bili smešteni
u rečnom sistemu.
02:40
The riverрека systemсистем was alsoтакође home
to a giantгигант, car-sizedveličine automobila coelacanthcoelacanthi,
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Rečni sistem takođe je bio dom
ogromnog celakanta veličine automobila,
02:44
a monsterчудовиште sawfishPilan,
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ogromne testerače
02:47
and the skiesнебо over the riverрека systemсистем
were filledиспуњен with pterosaurspterosaursi,
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a nebo iznad rečnog sistema
bilo je prepuno pterosaurusa,
02:51
flyingлети reptilesreptili.
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letećih reptila.
02:53
It was a prettyприлично dangerousопасно placeместо,
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Bilo je to prilično opasno mesto,
02:55
not the kindкинд of placeместо where you'dти би want
to travelпутовање to if you had a time machineмашина.
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tamo ne biste želeli da otputujete
kada biste imali vremeplov.
03:00
So we're findingпроналажење all these
incredibleневероватан fossilsFosili of animalsЖивотиње
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Pronalazili smo sve ove
neverovatne fosile životinja
03:03
that livedживели alongsiderame uz rame sa SpinosaurusSpinosaurus,
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koji su živeli u isto vreme
sa spinosaurusom,
03:05
but SpinosaurusSpinosaurus itselfсам provedдоказано
to be very elusiveнеодољив.
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ali sam spinosaurus se ispostavio
kao težak za uhvatiti.
03:08
We were just findingпроналажење bitsбита and piecesкомада
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Nalazili smo samo deliće
03:10
and I was hopingнадати се that we'dми смо find
a partialделимично skeletonскелет at some pointтачка.
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i nadao sam se da ćemo u nekom trenutku
pronaći delimičan skelet.
03:15
FinallyKonačno, very recentlyнедавно,
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Konačno, nedavno smo uspeli
03:17
we were ableу могуцности to trackтрацк down a digкопати siteсите
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da pronađemo mesto za kopanje
03:20
where a localлокално fossilфосил hunterlovac foundнашао
severalнеколико bonesкости of SpinosaurusSpinosaurus.
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gde je lokalni lovac na fosile pronašao
nekoliko kostiju spinosaurusa.
03:25
We returnedвратио се to the siteсите,
we collectedприкупљени more bonesкости.
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Vratili smo se na lokaciju,
skupili smo još kostiju.
03:28
And so after 100 yearsгодине we finallyконачно
had anotherдруги partialделимично skeletonскелет
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Tako smo nakon 100 godina
konačno imali delimični skelet
03:32
of this bizarrebizarno creatureстворење.
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ovog bizarnog stvorenja.
03:34
And we were ableу могуцности to reconstructobnovi it.
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I mogli smo da ga rekonstruišemo.
03:36
We now know that
SpinosaurusSpinosaurus had a headглава
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Sada znamo da je spinosaurus imao glavu
03:38
a little bitмало like a crocodilekrokodil,
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pomalo nalik na krokodila,
veoma drugačiju od drugih
dinosaurusa grabljivica,
03:39
very differentразличит from other
predatorypredatorski dinosaursdinosaurusi,
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03:42
very differentразличит from the T. rexRex.
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drugačiju od tiranosaurusa reksa.
03:44
But the really interestingзанимљиво informationинформације
cameДошао from the restодмор of the skeletonскелет.
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Ali zaista zanimljive informacije
dobili smo od ostatka skeleta.
03:49
We had long spinesbodlje,
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Imali smo dugačke bodlje
03:51
the spinesbodlje formingформирање the bigвелики sailjedro.
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koje su formirale veliko jedro.
03:53
We had legnoga bonesкости, we had skullЛобања bonesкости,
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Imali smo kosti nogu, kosti lobanje,
03:55
we had paddle-shapedu obliku feetстопала, wideшироко feetстопала --
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široka stopala u obliku vesala -
03:59
again, very unusualнеобично, no other
dinosaurdinosaurus has feetстопала like this --
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opet, veoma neobično,
nijedan drugi dinosaurus
nema ovakva stopala
04:02
and we think they mayможе have been
used to walkходати on softмеко sedimenttalog,
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i mislimo da su verovatno bili naviknuti
na hodanje po mekoj podlozi
04:05
or maybe for paddlingвеслање in the waterвода.
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ili veslanje po vodi.
04:07
We alsoтакође lookedпогледао at the fine
microstructureмикроструктура of the boneкост,
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Takođe smo posmatrali
i finu mikrostrukturu kosti,
04:11
the insideу structureструктура of SpinosaurusSpinosaurus bonesкости,
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unutrašnju strukturu kostiju spinosaurusa
04:13
and it turnsокреће се out that they're
very denseгусто and compactкомпакт.
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i ispostavlja se
da su veoma guste i kompaktne.
04:16
Again, this is something we see in animalsЖивотиње
that spendпотрошити a lot of time in the waterвода,
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Opet, ovo je nešto što vidimo
kod životinja koje dosta vremena
provode u vodi,
04:19
it's usefulкорисно for buoyancyplovnosti
controlконтрола in the waterвода.
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korisno je za kontrolu plovnosti u vodi.
04:23
We C.T.-scanned-skenirani all of our bonesкости
and builtизграђен a digitalдигитални SpinosaurusSpinosaurus skeletonскелет.
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Sve kosti smo stavili pod rendgen
i napravili digitalni skelet spinosaurusa.
04:28
And when we lookedпогледао
at the digitalдигитални skeletonскелет,
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I kada smo pogledali digitalni skelet,
04:30
we realizedреализован that yes, this was
a dinosaurdinosaurus unlikeза разлику од any other.
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shvatili smo da je ovo
zaista jedinstven dinosaurus.
04:35
It's biggerвеће than a T. rexRex,
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Veći je od tiranosaurusa reksa,
04:36
and yes, the headглава has "fish-eatinghrana od ribe"
writtenнаписано all over it,
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i sve u vezi sa njim
naglašava da jede ribu,
04:39
but really the entireцео skeletonскелет has
"water-lovingkoja voli vodu" writtenнаписано all over it --
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ali zapravo ceo skelet nam je govorio
da on voli vodu -
04:43
denseгусто boneкост, paddle-likekao vesla feetстопала,
and the hindHind limbsudovi are reducedсмањен in sizeвеличине,
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guste kosti, stopala nalik veslima
i smanjeni zadnji udovi
04:48
and again, this is something
we see in animalsЖивотиње
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i opet, ovo je nešto
što viđamo kod životinja
04:50
that spendпотрошити a substantialзнатан amountизнос
of time in the waterвода.
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koje provode
značajne količine vremena u vodi.
04:54
So, as we fleshedfleshed out our SpinosaurusSpinosaurus --
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Dok smo na našeg spinosaurusa
nabacivali meso -
04:58
I'm looking at muscleмишић attachmentsаттацхментс
and wrappingPrelamanje our dinosaurdinosaurus in skinкожа --
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gledam vezivanje mišića
i obmotavanje našeg dinosaurusa kožom -
05:02
we realizeсхватите that we're dealingбављење
with a riverрека monsterчудовиште,
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shvatamo da imamo posla
sa rečnim čudovištem,
05:06
a predatorypredatorski dinosaurdinosaurus, biggerвеће than T. rexRex,
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dinosaurusom grabljivicom,
koji je veći od tiranosaurusa reksa,
05:08
the rulervladar of this ancientдревни riverрека of giantsDivovi,
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vladara ove prastare reke džinova,
05:11
feedinghranjenje on the manyмноги aquaticводени animalsЖивотиње
I showedпоказао you earlierраније on.
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koji se hranio mnogim vodenim životinjama
koje sam vam ranije pokazao.
05:14
So that's really what makesчини this
an incredibleневероватан discoveryоткриће.
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To je ono što ovo otkriće
čini neverovatnim.
05:17
It's a dinosaurdinosaurus like no other.
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To je dinosaurus nalik nijednom drugom.
05:18
And some people told me, "WowVau,
this is a once-in-a-lifetimejedinstvena discoveryоткриће.
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Neki ljudi su mi rekli:
"Opa, ovo je otkriće života.
05:22
There are not manyмноги things left
to discoverоткрити in the worldсвет."
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Na svetu nije ostalo još mnogo toga
da se otkrije."
05:26
Well, I think nothing could be
furtherдаље from the truthистина.
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Mislim da je istina daleko od toga.
05:29
I think the Sahara'sSahara je
still fullпуна of treasuresblaga,
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Mislim da je Sahara još prepuna blaga
05:32
and when people tell me there are
no placesместа left to exploreистражити,
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i kada mi ljudi kažu da nema više
mesta za istraživanje,
05:35
I like to quoteкуоте a famousпознат dinosaurdinosaurus hunterlovac,
RoyRoj ChapmanChapman AndrewsAndrews,
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volim da citiram
čuvenog lovca na dinosauruse,
Roja Čepmena Endrusa,
05:39
and he said, "Always, there has been
an adventureавантура just around the cornerугао --
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a on je rekao:
"Avantura je uvek bila tik iza ćoška,
05:45
and the worldсвет is still fullпуна of cornersuglove."
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a svet je još prepun ćoškova".
05:47
That was trueистина manyмноги decadesдеценија agoпре
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To je bilo istina pre mnogo decenija
05:49
when RoyRoj ChapmanChapman AndrewsAndrews
wroteнаписао these linesлиније.
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kada je Roj Čepmen Endrus
napisao ove reči.
05:51
And it is still trueистина todayданас.
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Istina je i danas.
05:53
Thank you.
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Hvala vam.
05:54
(ApplauseAplauz)
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(Aplauz)
Translated by Mile Živković
Reviewed by Milenka Okuka

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nizar Ibrahim - Paleontologist
Nizar Ibrahim scours Northern Africa for clues to what things were like there in the Cretaceous period. A 2015 TED Fellow, he has spearheaded the recent search for the semi-aquatic dinosaur Spinosaurus.

Why you should listen

Paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim, a postdoc at the University of Chicago, wanted to uncover the mystery of the Spinosaurus, a gigantic predatory dinosaur whose only known remains were lost during World War II. After identifying a new skeleton at a dig in North Africa, Ibrahim made the landmark conclusion that the Spinosaurus may have been the largest carnivorous dinosaur to ever live. Its crocodile-like head, dense bones, short legs, and wide, paddle feet suggest it was a water dweller unlike any other. “The entire skeleton has water-loving river monster written all over it,” he says.

Ibrahim is a TED Fellow and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer.

More profile about the speaker
Nizar Ibrahim | Speaker | TED.com