Original sentence: However, the portrayal of Owen as a villain was fostered and encouraged by his rivals, particularly Huxley, and may be somewhat undeserved.Mantell did not live to witness the discovery in 1878 of articulated skeletons in a Belgium coal-mine that showed Iguanodon was mostly bipedal (and in that stance could use its thumb for defence).Owen made no comment or retraction; he never did
Edited sentence: However, the portrayal of Owen as a villain was fostered by his rivals, particularly Huxley, and his bad reputation may be, to some extent at least, undeserved.If only poor Mantell had lived to see the discovery in 1878 of the articulated skeletons in a Belgium coal-mine, he could have seen that Iguanodon was mostly bipedal (and in that stance could use its thumb for defence).Quite typically, Owen made no comment or retraction; he never did