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Would it really be possible to get dinosaur DNA and then restore them? – Lucie R., 5 years old, Atlanta, Georgia
As a paleontologist, it is a scientist who is studying ancient life – I ask me this question all the time. After all, the scientists of Jurassic Park (and later Jurassic World) used DNA to restore dozens of dinosaurs: TriceratopsIs it Velociraptor and T. Rex;
And if you saw any of those films, you should think: could true scientists do it today?
DNA ABC
DNA, which means deoxyribonucle acid, is something in every cell of each body that has ever lived on Earth, including dinosaurs.
Think of DNA as molecules that have a genetic code, a set of instructions that help to grow and flourish your bodies and mind.
Your DNA is different from everyone else. It determines many of the properties of you describing, as in your eye color, whether your hair is straight or curly.
DNA is much easier to find the animal’s “soft parts” – in their organs, blood vessels, nerves, muscles and fat.
However, soft dinosaur parts have long been gone. They either break down or have been eaten by another dinosaur.
Are DNA in fossils?
The dinosaur fossils are all that is left of those prehistoric animals.
For tens of millions of years, immersed in ancient dirt, minerals and water, fossils are from the so-called “hard parts” of the dinosaur-they bone, teeth and skulls.
We find dinosaur fossils on Earth, riverbeds and lakes, rock and mountain sides. Occasionally someone finds one in their yard.
Often they are right next to the surface and are usually inserted into the sedimentary rocks.
With enough fossils, scientists can build a dinosaur skeleton – what you see when going to the museum.
Trouble with Dino-Dna
However, scientists have a big problem trying to find DNA dinosaur fossils.
DNA molecules disintegrate in the long run. Recent studies show that DNA is worse and eventually breaks down after about 7 million years.
It sounds like a long time, but the last dinosaur died at the end of the chalk. It’s more than 65 million years ago.
Dig the fossils today, and any Dino-Dna would have fallen for a long time.
This means that as far as scientists know, and even with the best technology available today, it is impossible to make a dinosaur from your DNA.
Although it is too late to find Dino-DNA, scientists recently found something almost as intriguing.
They discovered DNA fragments in the fossils of Neanderthals and other ancient mammals, such as wool mammoths.
Now it makes sense; Those fragments are less than 2 million years, well before the entire DNA would be reduced.
For a moment, imagine …
Just for fun, let’s imagine that somehow, in the future, researchers have come up with dinosaur DNA fragments.
With only fragments, scientists still couldn’t make a complete dinosaur.
Instead, they should combine fragments with a modern animal DNA to create a living organism.
However, that creature could not be called a real dinosaur. Rather, it would be a hybrid, a dinosaur mixture and most likely a bird or reptile.
You think it’s a good idea? After all, Jurassic film scientists have tried it. And you know what happened there.
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This article has been published from a conversation, non -profit, independent news organizations that provide you with facts and reliable analysis to help you give meaning to our complex world. It wrote: William Ausich, Ohio State University
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Over the past 40 years, I have received funding from the National Science Foundation and National Geographic many times. I am currently consulting the Institute of Paleontological Research at the University of Kansas, as an interim editor of the treatise on invertebrate paleontology.