I rudely interrupt this week’s NY Minutes to mark an important anniversary. Yes it’s 15 years since the general release of a movie within a movie, Mr. DNA’s historic monolog in Jurassic Park………
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New York Minutes
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15 years of Jurassic Park & where are the dinosaurs?
- Date:
- Friday, 04 Jul y 2008 - 02:56 GMT
In an arguably standout moment in cinematic explanations of science (though not quite akin to Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Watson or scientists whipping out an electron microscope in The Andromeda Strain) a short cartoon involving Mr. DNA explained how Dino-resurrection might occur, the question is, is this even a tad closer to feasible even 15 years on? Well not quite, of course, we’re not at the point where you can download a recipe from Nature Protocols.
Dead dinos recentlyBut it seems to me that some major steps in potential feasibility have been made since that time. Haven’t we seen publications of Neanderthal DNA sequence, raced toward ever faster and cheaper sequencing, solved structures of ‘reincarnated’ ancient proteins and attempted steps toward man-made life forms (or at least synthetic genomes)? I have to say I always thought the suggestion of using extant DNA from a “closely related” organism to fill in the ‘gaps’ in ancient DNA was neat, though extracting DNA from fossilized mosquito was just a tad of a stretch. There are of course ethical issues, the least of which is to not allow doting grandfather venture capitalists to send their cherished descendents into T-Rex infested parks on stormy evenings…
Last updated: Friday, 04 Jul 2008 - 02:56 GMT
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Comments
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Hi Sabbi,
Maybe the wooly mammoth, for which there is soft tissue available (frozen, I guess) and close relatives still around.
Regarding dinosaurs, there is a show at the Madison Square Garden, Walking with dinosaurs: the live experience
OK, they are not really alive, but I am sure my daughter would find them more impressive than those at the AMNH (I told her they were sleeping, it was too difficult to explain fossils).
Good point about the mammoths- it’s be interesting to know more about the material out there.
I told her they were sleeping
Did she ask why they’re so bony/ scrawny? Also the dinosaurs at the AMNH “wake up” in “Night at the Museum”...
”I have to say I always thought the suggestion of using extant DNA from a “closely related” organism to fill in the ‘gaps’ in ancient DNA was neat, though extracting DNA from fossilized mosquito was just a tad of a stretch.”
It was neat indeed, but unfortunately amphibians aren’t really that closely related to dinosaurs. They would have been better off using birds.
Moreover, having the entire genome sequence is merely one step. You would still need the genome in a functional physical form.
And last but not least, you need an egg. And here all dreams about free-roaming dinosaurs in our age usually shatter. Where are you going to find an egg that matches that of T-Rex and can support its development?
I suggest physicists invent their long overdue time machine first, and we pick one up from the past. After all, it’s been more than 100 years since H.G. Wells published his work on that.
There are definitely better organisms to use, and this is just the second step. Maybe time travel is the easier option, but isn’t there some infinite mass issue (would it need infinite gym time to fix)?
I think the egg issue is on par in difficulty with the infinite mass issue but everybody takes problems in physics more seriously than those in biology.
After all only physics could attempt to construct a “Theory of Everything”, which doesn’t seem to include … everything.
On the other hand in biology we do have a theory of everything related to biology, but we are more modest (or specific) and call it “theory of evolution”. And we had it for almost 150 years.
I’m going to stick my neck out now and predict that you will not see a living dinosaur ever, where I define ever, as in the next 30-50 years.
Unless of course you direct your gaze to the sky and see the latest line of dinosaurs soar through the sky; the mighty birds.
Sarjibt,
I am new to blogging. I read your post with great interest. I am reviving DNA DATASOURCE after five years on ‘idle’. Our home page features the emerging fields of Ancient DNA and retro-engineering, both of which have become immensely popular thanks in large part to films and the Discovery Channel and National Geographic specials. In gathering data, experts, and links in support of these technologies, its good to read your ‘other side of the coin’ blog relative to retro-engineering. Makes for a great balance. Your blog is credible and makes sense. I am not a scientist by any means, as my background is more computer science. However, my fascination for DNA and all of it’s applications has fostered the creation of www.dnadatasource.com. So please have a look, and get involved. The official launch is August 15, but it’s out there now.