User blog:Jurassic Park Treasury/How to clone a Velociraptor

Note: This is not a discussion blog. All discussion related to recreating dinosaurs should go on Forum:Cloning dinosaurs. This is simply a step-by-step guide that I have written based on information from this wiki.

Obtaining DNA
1. Look for DNA in bones and amber. Exceptionally well-preserved bones are most likely to contain DNA and protein fragments. Studies by Schweitzer et al have found both proteins and DNA in dinosaur fossils. Dinosaur feathers and reptile tissues have been found in amber, and such tissues may still contain small DNA fragments. Velociraptor lived in a desert environment however, and it is unlikely that amber will be found in deposits where the dinosaur is found.

2. Compare genomics of modern archosaurs to find out what the genes of their last common ancestors looked like. While Velociraptor is not an ancestor of birds, it is a close relative, and the small size of their genome suggests that their genes may not have been much different. An ancient Triassic archosaur gene has been reconstructed in this way. Any remaining genetic gaps could be filled in with DNA of ratites such as ostriches and emus, which are the closest living relatives of Velociraptor.

Sequencing the DNA
1. Extract the DNA and proteins. While the DNA found by Schweitzer cannot be extracted with current technology, it is possible to extract proteins. Looking at the protein code also gives a glimpse of what the DNA code looked like. In the future, it will be possible to extract the DNA fragments as well.

2. Clone the DNA. In order to be properly sequenced, this DNA has to be multiplied. This can easily be done with Polymerase chain reaction.

3. Use computers to reassemble the fragments. These computers can predict the order and code of the DNA. This is a relatively easy step.

4. The original fossil DNA is probably too degraded to be of any use. Using computer technology, a digital version of the raptor genome with all known DNA code has to be created. Scientists can use comparative genomics to deduce what chromosomes that dinosaurs such as Velociraptor had. Scientists have used this method to deduce ancestral bird chromosomes. Maniraptors likely had the same order of chromosomes, or at least a similar order.

5. Synthesize this code. While the original fossil DNA is degraded, the DNA synthesized on a computer is as good as new. However, modern gene synthesis only allows creation of small fragments of up to 200 nucleotides long. This prevents the creation of entire chromosomes and genomes. However, there is no reason to think that it will never be possible.

6. Test all discovered dinosaur genes to see if they are functional. The Triassic archosaur gene functioned in monkey cells, so normal mouse cells would be the easiest and most practical way to do this step. This way, we will also know what the genes did in their original host.

Cloning a Velociraptor
1. Use the DNA to create the early-stage embryo and take a sample of cells from the embryo. Then fuse these cells with ostrich cells to create a genetic chimera. Inter-order bird chimeras have been made using embryonic material from chickens and endangered bustards. This means that a Velociraptor/ostrich chimera could potentially be possible.

2. Insert the chimeric embryo into an egg and let it hatch. When the ostrich becomes an adult, it will mate with another chimera. If the male has raptor reproductive organs, the eggs that the female lays will be Velociraptor as well, though most will probably be infertile.

3. When the eggs hatch after a period of weeks or months, you will have your very own Velociraptor, either alive or dead at birth.