Recreating dinosaurs

"International Genetic Technologies had succeeded in their design - to genetically recreate the dinosaurs. It was an unprecedented accomplishment - the pinnacle of 20th century science. A work to rank with the achievements of Galileo or Einstein."

- John Hammond

The motor behind the extreme popularity of the movie was beyond doubt how real the dinosaurs looked. Created to look flawless on 32mm (a medium with higher quality than any digital camera to date) the dinosaurs retain their splendor and reality even on todays HD viewing systems and digital screens.

However, what really triggered a real scientific debate about Jurassic Park was the explanation why in the movie humans and dinosaurs coexist. In all Jurassic Park media dinosaurs are recreated by the scientists of InGen. The dinosaurs are cloned using paleo-DNA from either bones or the gut of Mosquitoes in amber.

Outline
The protocol is explained below in more detail.

In the film the protocol to clone the dinosaurs is briefly explained in the Showroom Scene (see video below). The concept is explained in more detail in the novel.

For cloning dinosaurs, a complete set of dinosaur-DNA is needed. This DNA can be created if the genetic code is known. There are two sources of dinosaur-DNA.

Proteins can be extracted from dinosaur fossils. From the protein code the corresponding DNA code can be deduced. Most of the protein-coding DNA (genes) can be discovered in this way.

However, most of a creatures DNA doesn't consists only of genes. In humans genes cover only ~2% of the genome. Therefore another source is needed.

The scientists extracted DNA from blood cells in prehistoric Mosquitoes. These mosquitoes were trapped in amber. Therefore both the insect and the blood were perfectly preserved. Since the DNA is so old it has to repaired. Sometimes even DNA from other species has to be added to make in complete.

The DNA is added to a emu or ostrich ovum. In one in 1000 trails this ovum will grow into a functional dinosaur.



Academic response
There was a large response from the academic world on Jurassic Park. Most of the scientists said that it is impossible to clone dinosaurs; at least with contemporary technology.

NOVA dedicated the entire episode The Real Jurassic Park to discuss the Jurassic Park protocol.

produced the episode The Case of the Dino Clones. Most of the episode is about amber and the insects it contains.

In 1997 scientists DeSalle and Lindley wrote the book How To Build A Dinosaur. This book explains every step in the protocol in most detail. They conclude that this project would be very expensive and difficult; but not impossible.

In 2008 Grazier (PhD) and other scientists published the book The Science of Michael Crichton. In this book each chapter discusses the science in a novel of Michael Crichton. On page 69-84 the chapter We still can't clone dinosaurs discusses the science behind the novels Jurassic Park and The Lost World. It is written by Sandy Becker.

In 2010 Jack Horner published the book How To Build A Dinosaur: The New Science Of Reverse Evolution in which he explains his project to create dinosaurs. Horner mentions the protocol in Jurassic Park many times in his book. He concludes that it is impossible to create dinosaurs a la Jurassic Park. Therefore he proposes an alternative. Horner explains that a common chicken is a descendant of raptors. Therefore, if you change their gene expression they will regain their older characteristics. Horner wants to create a Chickenosaurus: a chicken with a tail, hands with claws and a fleshy mouth with teeth.

Apart from publications, there are many blogs on personal or academic websites arguing for or against the possibility of this scenario. However, there is no consensus about this topic.

Here are two video's arguing for and against the possibility to clone dinosaurs: File:Can we clone extinct dinosaurs from DNA preserved in their fossils?|We can't clone dinosaurs File:Michio Kaku Can We Resurrect the Dinosaurs? Neanderthal Man?|We can clone dinosaurs

Uniqueness
Books and films that only give a documentation of dinosaurs seldom become as popular as books and films in which humans and dinosaurs meet each other and the carnivorous dinosaurs hunt and kill some humans. As a result, authors that make stories in which dinosaurs and humans coexist have to give an explanation how such a thing is possible.

Lost worlds
The first story in which humans stumble upon a prehistoric reptile was 's 1864 novel. Deep under the surface of the earth the explorers see a giant Ichthyosaurus, which fights with a Plesiosaurus and wins. Later, in 1912, wrote the novel. In this story a group of explorers travels to a plateau in South America where (due to isolation from the rest of the earth) time and evolution have stand still for millions of years. Dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals still live on that plateau.

Both these stories became very popular and film adaptations of these stories have been made many times. But in both stories the explanation why humans and dinosaurs coexist is that, although dinosaurs disappeared everywhere on the planet, somewhere on or under the earth are small "lost worlds" where they still exist. In Conan Doyle's day, you could think of South America as a mysterious, unknown place, where ancient beasts and wonders might well await the determined explorers. But in modern times the entire globe (including ocean floors) has been mapped, and if dinosaurs would still live somewhere they would have been discovered (though the world has been mapped, it hasn't been entirely explored). Furthermore, all have been rejected by the scientific community. Therefore, all stories that use a lost world explanation for the coexistence of humans and dinosaurs are truly fiction, nothing more and nothing less.

Time traveling
A very straightforward solution for the coexistent problem would be. Humans could travel 65 million years in time and walk between dinosaurs. This solution is used in (particularly in ) and in Steven Spielberg's TV series Terra Nova. Time traveling also appears in Michael Crichton's novel .

Time travel is a good solution, but it's unlikely that in the near or far future it will be possible for humans. Therefore a story with a time travel explanation isn't very convincing for the general public or scientists.

Ancient humans
A lot of popular dinosaur movies from the 60s and 70s of the last century take place in the Mesozoic ages and portray the humans as living at the same time. These kind of ancient humans appear in films like and ; one of main attractions apart from the dinosaurs are the scantily clad cave girls.

Although there are a few reports from the 19th century of human fossils in strata that are currently classified as tens of million years old, the scientific consensus is that Homo sapiens appeared only 100.000 years ago and can't have lived along side with the dinosaurs although creationists (these are people who beleve that genisis part of the bible is true) say dinosaurs and humans did live together. They say the reason that there are no dinosaurs today, is beacuse they perished in the great flood.

Recreating dinosaurs
In the Jurassic Park novel, and six years earlier in the, dinosaurs live in the modern world because scientists have been able to acquire fossil DNA of dinosaurs. Using this DNA they were able to clone the creatures.

This scenario has also been criticised by scientists. However, it is the most realistic explanation in this list. A series of articles will discuss the possibility of this theory.

How to build a Dinosaur
The protocol to clone dinosaurs, as it appears in the original novels and the films contains a couple of steps.

DNA
"Paleo-DNA? From what source? Where do you get 100 million year old dinosaur blood?!"

- Ellie Sattler

To create dinosaurs you need a of the animals. From the many skeletons that have been discovered we can have a reasonable picture of what the animals looked like; but that isn't enough to rebuild the animals. We need know the genetic code of dinosaur DNA in order to grow them. In the Jurassic Park stories there are two sources of genetic information of dinosaurs.

Proteins in fossils
More information: Proteins in fossils.

Dinosaur bones are fossilised, and are now technically stone. All cells and DNA has been destroyed by the ages. But even now dinosaurs bones can contain proteins. The protein code can give a glimpse of what the DNA code looked like. John Hammond had started a laboratory called "Medical Biologic Services" in Salt Lake to extract the proteins from dinosaur bones.

Mosquitoes
In the prehistoric era there were Mosquitoes that fed on the blood of dinosaurs. Blood contains red and white blood cells, which contain nuclei with DNA.

Amber
Resin will turn into hard amber.

DNA in Amber
More information: DNA in Amber.

If a bug landed on a tree, just after biting a dinosaur, it could get stuck in the. Resin will turn into hard amber, which mummifies and preserve the insect through millions of years, but also the blood cells. Therefore John Hammond searches the globe for ancient amber and buy all amber that has been excavated.

Extracting the DNA
More information: Extracting the DNA and proteins.

Find the DNA code
More information: Decoding the DNA sequence.

Fill the sequence gaps
More information: Filling the sequence gaps.

Creating embryo's
More information: Cloning and growing embryo's.

Parenting dinosaurs
More information: Parenting dinosaurs.

Modify dinosaurs
More information: Modify dinosaurs.

Creating a Lost World
More information: Creating a Lost World.

Ethical issues
"The lack of humility before nature that's been displayed here staggers me. " - Ian Malcolm

More information: Ethical issues of cloning dinosaurs.

In the novel and film Ian Malcolm is the main antagonist of cloning dinosaurs.