Deliberate mistake: In the scene where the T-Rex is chasing the Explorer, there is a shot of the driver's side side view mirror which says, "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear." This warning is only used on convex mirrors, which are only placed on the passenger side of cars. (01:17:40)
Deliberate mistake: At the end of the kitchen scene with the kids and the raptors, one of the raptors chases Tim as he runs to the door. As it's doing this, Tim is running away with a bad limp, then as the raptor gains speed and is close behind, Tim's legs are perfectly fine as he sprints out the door and shuts it. (01:47:05)
Deliberate mistake: When the raptor breaks into the control room and is hopping around the computer workstations, we see sharp, distinct genetic coding projected from a computer screen and across the raptor's face (starting 1:55:50). Aside from the fact that computer displays have never projected focused images onto nearby surfaces, the projected text shown in this scene oddly reads from left-to-right, when it should actually be a flipped mirror-image (right-to-left). Spielberg probably realised this factual incongruity while filming but chose to use the left-to-right text for the sake of audience recognition, given that the multiple lines of "GATC" genetic code were already confusing enough. (01:55:50)
Deliberate mistake: When flying towards the island, the sea in the background is way too close. A helicopter flying over open sea would never fly that low. And when the camera cuts to an external view, the helicopter is also much, much higher.
Answer: They are not paleontologists, just people interested in dinosaurs. It is common for museums and other scientific organizations to offer the general public an opportunity to participate in a real paleontology dig. For a fee, they become an exhibition team member for a period of time, learn about dinosaurs, help excavate fossils, and so on. This is likely how Dr. Grant (or his institution) supplements his research funding.
raywest ★