could Jurassic Park really happen?

Answer 1

Not yet. If you got your hands on some viable dino DNA, then perhaps. However, they're not born full-size, so you would have to raise them. It's also possible dinos couldn't survive in today's climate. Other than that they're just reptiles.

Answer 2

Wow! People have such limited imaginations. OK now for an answer from someone that has escaped the box.

Yes. In a way, anyway. Cloning is possible today as is breeding and gene therapy. The Iguana, The Tortoise, the Komodo Dragon, the bearded dragon (great pets), and many other reptiles (Tuatara is about the oldest and highly endangered ,link below).
All of these creatures could be breeded (and gene therapy used) for maximum size.
Eventually you would have something like Jurassic park creatures though you wouldn't have recreated the original dinosaurs (either did the movie since the used frog DNA to complete the project).

Now who would take on that feeding bill and if this would be a good idea are different questions.

Answer 3

Well, with the current advances in genetic research, artificial DNA, etc. and the direction and speed at which genetic research is going, I do not doubt at all that we will have the capability.

Now whether we actually allow it to be done is another story. But money talks, and this would be big money.

But the things that are happening in genetics now, with the talk about artificial life, etc. at one time would have been thought impossible. The discussion would probably be is it morally right to bring back the dinosaurs?

There is a NOVA special available on this subject.

So could it happen? I believe that it could someday. Unfortunately we are at the root of mass extinctions that are occurring now. So maybe it would be morally right to bring back some species. But dinosaurs? The decision would have to be weighed carefully.

Answer 4

Although the book was based on a real mans research, unfortunatly there are two obstacles to the Jurassic Park scenerio happening anytime soon.
1) DNA breaks down too fast, and not enough usable dinosaur dna has been recovered to actually clone one.
2) The technology to clone from a strand of recovered DNA from so many millions of years ago just doesnt exist. We are just on the crest of cloning mammals from embryos.

I will not say that it will always be an impossibility, however, right now it is impossible, and its improbable that dinosaurs will ever be created.

Answer 5

Yes that could happen, Man has gotten much better at extracting dna from lots of things. Its all a matter of time before they clone a dinosaur they might find frozen in ice or in something else they manipulated the dna sequences of. I'm frightened by what they are doing now.

Answer 6

I thought no at first, because fossilized bones aren't really organic material, but rather a calcified replica ( like a plaster cast) but I wonder if the new find of a mummified dinosaur may change this. Apparently it even has soft tissue preserved.

Answer 7

Wushu and Christian gave great answers. Let me just add the following link from Berkeley which will give a little more of the scientific details as to the seemingly impossible hurdles to be overcome.

Answer 8

If they had good dino DNA they could do it. Good luck finding 65 million year old DNA.

Answer 9

yes,
with new technology, comes new things that you can do,
I do not think that we are there yet,
but we are getting way closer.

Answer 10

if we do we could use it to clear out our crowded prisons.