2006-07-10 14:44:46 · 11 answers · asked by JimmyJaan 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Reading a little too much "Jurassic Park"?
Here's the breakdown for you.
In order to clone a creature, you must have a few items.
First, you need a compatible host zygote. (Read as "egg".) After 65 million years or more, there aren't a lot of creatures that really fit the bill, since you need a terribly good match in order to get the rest of the critter to grow. (For reference, current clone tech requires an egg from the same species. )
Next, you need an intact DNA strand. Now, DNA is like anything else that's been in the earth since forever: it decays. (Even a glass bottle will biodegrade eventually.) Current estimates for things to break down glass are in the million-year range. Will a string of organic molecules - which can be used in damn near anything - survive that long? Don't bet on it.
Finally, and this part's that's hardest, you would need to feed the dino. It may have specific dietary requirements that current species do not provide. In addition, the flora and fauna are MUCH different nowadays.
Short version? We probably will never be able to clone a species that far dead.
2006-07-10 16:09:37 · answer #1 · answered by kx_wx 3 · 2⤊ 2⤋
There is a very good chance that we can. We've found ways to clone other animals, we just need to find enough dinosaur DNA to create a new one. Now mind you, the real question that we need to be asking is not "Can today's science recreate dinosaurs...", but "SHOULD today's sience recreate dinosaurs...". Many horrible things have happened in the past because people have asked "can we" instead of "should we". It will be a long, LONG time before we see a dinosaur walking around, even a clone of one, simply because scientists are now more careful to ask "should we" instead of "can we".
2006-07-10 21:51:57 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Today's science is not able to recreate what a dinosaur would really look like if they had a good sample of dinosaur DNA. Science is also currently unable to create a completely artificial womb to grow an embryo in.
There is a scientist that is looking for viable Mammoth sperm DNA, with the purpose of using it to impregnate a elephant to create a cross bread, and then continue that process by crossing Mammoth DNA again with the cross bread, ... until a real Mammoth is made.
2006-07-10 21:51:51 · answer #3 · answered by Michael M 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I will try to illustrate the task:
Try to reconstruct Moby ****, working with a few bleached and torn pages, all written in Cyrillic. You only can read in Chinese.
Doubtless, this would take an inconcievable amount of time.
It is probably more practical to learn Cyrillic and write a new book, so to speak. A new creature that look like or acts like you think a dinosaur should would be easier and more rewarding than the practically impossible reconstruction. Even then, it would require time, money, and technology far beyond what anyone has today.
2006-07-11 00:02:39 · answer #4 · answered by Nohbdy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, even if we had all DNA from a single species, then we don't know:
Egg size
Yolk composition
Yolk/albumin ratio inside the egg
length of time on incubation
Temperature to hatch
Number of rotations for OK development
egg shape
shell's thickness and number of pores on its surface
Nest material.
Even if you manage to have a baby you wouldn't know what it ate, parental care time and type, etc.
Then if you could do that, then it doesn't know how to be a parent, how to pray, coupling rituals, etc, because all those activities are part of its early training.
2006-07-10 21:50:52 · answer #5 · answered by pogonoforo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, only becasue there isn't enough dinosaur DNA to make a clone. and there really isn't a way to fill in the gaps, since there are literally billions on genetic combinations to work with.
2006-07-10 21:49:12 · answer #6 · answered by crazy_airforce_guy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, but it would be more viable to recreate Quagga, mammoth or sawtooth cat that have extinct only recently. We already get complete DNA for some of those creatures
2006-07-11 00:21:23 · answer #7 · answered by Radixa M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the technology to create a viable embryo is there, but there's not enough dna to use, not to mention all the other things other people have mentioned: egg size/composition, early infancy, incubation details, etc.
2006-07-10 22:25:21 · answer #8 · answered by bookworm_queen 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
theres no DNA to make it from.
2006-07-10 22:35:14 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I bet they can and they're just not telling us!!
2006-07-10 21:47:39 · answer #10 · answered by miss_gem_01 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋