Would it really be possible to get the DNA of dinosaurs and then recreate them?
– Lucie R., age 5, Atlanta, GeorgiaAs a paleontologist – that’s a scientist who studies ancient life
– I’m asked this question all the time. Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com
The ABCs of DNA
DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid
- It is found in every cell of every organism on Earth, including dinosaurs
- Your DNA determines many characteristics that define you, like the color of your eyes, hair, etc.
Imagine for a moment…
Researchers came up with fragments of dinosaur DNA, but could not make a complete dinosaur
- They would have to combine the fragments with the DNA of a modern-day animal to create a living organism
- The creature would not be an actual dinosaur, but a hybrid
Is DNA in the fossils?
Dinosaur fossils are all that’s left of these prehistoric animals
- Immersed for tens of millions of years in ancient mud, minerals and water, the fossils come from the dinosaur’s so-called “hard parts” – its bones, teeth, and skull
- With enough fossils, scientists can build a dinosaur skeleton
The trouble with ‘dino-DNA’
DNA deteriorates and disintegrates after about 7 million years.
- It is not possible to make a dinosaur from its DNA, even with the best technology available today
- Although it’s too late to find dinosaur-DNA in woolly mammoths, scientists recently found it in the fossil of Neanderthals and other ancient mammals.
