Cloning Dinosars?

[Guest Geneticist]

Hey guys,

 

I know you have probably heard of this questions many times, but is it really possible to clone dinosaurs? What do you think of Dr Schweitzer's discovery of preserved soft tissue in a fossil? Is it real, or does it represent some unknown form of fossilization?

[Bluenoise]

It's not really possible since there is no intact DNA. Even the preserved soft tissue contains degraded DNA.

[AzurePhoenix]

It's doubtful enough intact DNA could even be found and extracted from a frozen mammoth, a pre-KT Event dino's chances of having any intact material is immeasurably improbable. You'd need C-3PO to give you the exact figure.

[admiral_ju00]

It's doubtful enough intact DNA could even be found and extracted from a frozen mammoth, a pre-KT Event dino's chances of having any intact material is immeasurably improbable. You'd need C-3PO to give you the exact figure.

 

Indeed. Even if deep, deep frozen, DNA will not survive too long especially to be of any real use.

 

The discovery of soft tissue was certainly unexpected by a long shot and surprising.

[AzurePhoenix]

it does lend some support to the possibility that DNA could survive longer than we ever supposed, but almost certainly not long enough

[Nevermore]

Welcome to Jurrasic park.

[aaronmyung]

How coooooll would that be though!!!! I could have my own pet dinosaur

[akcapr]

DNA is a pretty durable molecule. But years of weathering no doubt would destroy it. Have they not found any dinos frozen in the ice somewhere, possibly when it was caught by the iceage? I know they found a mamoth. btw, wat ever happened to it, werent they going to clone it or someting? also, would the dna of a dinosaur stuck in tar be preserved?

[Skye]

DNA is fairly unstable, especially over geological time. Dinosaurs went extint millions of years ago, the last ice age was thousands of years ago.

[RICHARDBATTY]

If a DNA sequence can be obtained from a few of these samples could they be compared and a likely full good sequence be derived from that data?. Would it be possible to in some way reconstruct a good DNA sample given sections of damaged DNA and a full good sequence ?.

[Auburngirl05]

There are tons of factors working against 'resurrecting' dinosaur genes, everything from atomospheric composition to bacterial evolution. This book gives a GREAT study of it, I highly recommend it:

 

The Science of Jurassic Park and the Lost World, by Rob Lasalle and David Lindley

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060977353/qid=1116371470/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-6157591-3932749

[Hellbender]

I know you have probably heard of this questions many times, but is it really possible to clone dinosaurs? What do you think of Dr Schweitzer's discovery of preserved soft tissue in a fossil? Is it real, or does it represent some unknown form of fossilization?

I can't imagine this happening. Intact DNA would be nigh impossible to obtain, as outlined by members above. Granted, cloning a dinosaur might answer a lot of questions, but I just don't think its worth it.

[Insane]

Is it possible to 'make' DNA? I'm going to sound like a total idiot, but:

 

What if we filled in the missing peices of the DNA sequence with some reptile's or bird's DNA, then we'd have a cool Hybrid.

[Bluenoise]

Your best chance would be to collect as much material as possible do some shotgun sequencing it. But it would be very doubtful that you could find enough material long enough to do this as well as a few copies of it that would be required.

Maybe also do a comparisson with a bird, but I doubt this would be anywhere near to as fruitfull as may be imagined.

 

And yes you can synthesis dna

[Skye]

Also, DNA doesn't make dinosaurs on its own. You'd need proper chromosomes in a proper dinosaur zygote.