Do you think is some distant future a dinosaur may be cloned using fossil DNA?

Question

abc3643 · Accepted Answer

No, and for just the reason that was explained in Jurassic Park. In the movie, they never got a complete DNA sequence of a dinosaur so they filled in the gaps with frog DNA. This proved to be problematic because, despite being engineered not to be able to breed (as all the dinosaurs were female), it is implied that the frog DNA enabled some of the dinosaurs to become male and, thus, breeding occurred.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/RLz5Api676Y https://www.youtube.com/embed/ir61-qM8PDc

My point is that the dinosaurs they created in Jurassic Park weren't dinosaurs like from millions of years ago, but a sort of Frankendinosaur because of the genetic engineering adding the frog DNA. By not having a complete DNA sequence to begin with, they could not replicate a dinosaur from the past.

This is why I said no.

But, there's also a question of ethics; doing something like that is unethical and the JP movies show us this.

"Frankenstein should be required reading for all scientists."
- Dr. Charles Forbin in "Colossus: The Forbin Project"

NamerOfStars · Accepted Answer

By definition, no- a fossil isn't a remnant of a living thing, it's a hunk of rock. It has no DNA. That's why Crichton used blood from mosquitoes preserved in amber. Even if it did, DNA starts to break down after about ten thousand years. We might be able to do Neanderthals, but dinosaurs are pretty much out of the question.

Interestingly, there's a question about what would happen then: would Neanderthals count as human for legal purposes? Nobody's going to be mass-breeding them for slave labor, and even if they WEREN'T considered humans, there are still animal cruelty laws. But medical research is a different matter. It's pretty creepy possibility. I'd've thought humanity was wiser than that, but then 2020 happened...

milyjohn · Accepted Answer

There's a company that claims they can do it..  These are the two critters they want to start with.

SecretsofKB · Accepted Answer

Depends... could I make a theme park out of it?

Anonymous · Answer

There is much debate in the scientific community about the feasibility of cloning a dinosaur from fossil DNA. It is possible that with advances in technology, scientists could overcome the limitations of ancient DNA and successfully clone a dinosaur.

However, there are also ethical considerations to take into account, as bringing back an extinct species carries immense responsibility and potentially unwanted consequences. So regardless of the technological challenges, a decision to clone a dinosaur would likely involve a careful weighing of pros and cons.

lightbulb27 · Answer

Be kinda cool to make a "super chicken"...50ft high using dino DNA. I can see humans trying to pull that off.

But when they get loose and start clucking people up, might be a problem...

they are aggressive... super predators...

Sadly, you know the military would take over that program and wed end up in "dino chicken wars".

so should let nature do what it does I guess...

Anonymous · Answer

Not too distant, they know how to do it now.

Astarlessnightsky · Answer

No. Fossils don't contain DNA.

Do you think is some distant future a dinosaur may be cloned using fossil DNA?

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

Do you think is some distant future a dinosaur may be cloned using fossil DNA?

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

We're glad to see you liked this post.