What are the motifs in The Lost World by Michael Crichton?

Scientific hubris is one of author Michael Crichton's favorite recurring ideas. As a scientist turned popular fiction writer, Crichton has addressed this theme continually, beginning with his first novel, The Andromeda Strain. The Lost World is a continuation of Crichton's previous book, Jurassic Park, which similarly deals with mankind's attempts to tamper with the natural order by bringing to life animals that nature long ago selected for extinction. The moral of The Lost World is very similar to the ending of The Andromeda Strain. In both stories, the plot centers on scientists who try to prove a theory about which they are passionate, but their ulterior motives prove ego-driven and selfish at great cost to other human beings.