Think Like a Dinosaur


"Think Like a Dinosaur" is a science fiction novelette written by James Patrick Kelly, originally published in the June 1995 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine.
The story won the 1996 Hugo Award for Best Novelette, the Asimov's Reader Poll Award, and the SF Chronicle Award. It was also nominated for the Locus Poll Award and the Nebula Award.
Since its original publication, "Think Like a Dinosaur" has been reprinted in several science fiction anthologies. In 2001, It was adapted as the "Think Like a Dinosaur" episode of The Outer Limits TV series. It was read by Michael O'Hare for Sci-Fi's Seeing Ear Theatre.

Plot

The story postulates a transportation device which can transmit an exact copy of a person's body to distant planets. The original body is disintegrated once reception at the destination is confirmed. In the story a woman is teleported to an alien planet, but the original is not disintegrated because reception cannot be confirmed at the time. Reception is later confirmed, and the original, not surprisingly, declines to "balance the equation" by re-entering the scanning and disintegrating device. This creates an ethical quandary which is viewed quite differently by the cold-blooded aliens who provided the teleportation technology, and their warm-blooded human associates.

Publication history

"Think Like a Dinosaur" was originally published in the June 1995 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. It was subsequently reprinted in the following anthologies: