We have all seen the movies- well, hopefully. Jurassic Park is one of the most well known trilogies of all time. All three movies, and the new fourth one, are comprised of the idea that humans can recreate all different types of dinosaurs through using DNA. While this would be extremely difficult in real life, it does seem plausible. Watching the fourth movie this past summer lead me to wonder: is a real life Jurassic Park possible?

For those of you who do not know, the Jurassic Park trilogy, as well as the newest in the sequence, Jurassic World, involve the seemingly impossible: genetically engineered dinosaurs. Scientists were able to create these dinosaurs through DNA found in preserved mosquitos trapped in amber. This DNA was then combined with the DNA of many present-living animals. After numerous years of research and lab tests, the scientists were able to create dinosaur eggs, which then hatched into dinosaurs. I know that I am not alone when I say that this would be absolutely amazing, and also horrifying, if this were to happen in real life.

Unfortunately for me, it does not seem like a real life Jurassic Park is possible, well at least not in our lifetimes. According to Mary Schweitzer and Tracy Staedter, paleontologists at Montana State University, “[m]ost scientists don’t put much stock in the idea because it’s unlikely that DNA could last for million years. [However] some of [them] think that proteins might prove to be the genuine article.” As a non-science major, I had no idea what proteins could possibly do that would lead to the creation of a dinosaur. Schweitzer and Staedter explain that since proteins are “bigger and heartier than DNA, some proteins may have a better chance at surviving for eons and could provide clues about an extinct animal’s life not as easily extracted from DNA.” In order to do this, scientists would have to be able to find matches of ancient protein molecules with present day molecules. This would allow them to determine the relationship between dinosaurs and birds. Most people think they are very closely related, and that birds are the descendants of dinosaurs (Schweitzer and Staedter). However, they “can never bring dinosaurs back to life as Steven Spielberg did in his movie. But we could bring the essence of their lives into the present and come as close as science might ever get to a real Jurassic Park” (Schweitzer and Staedter). Even though dinosaurs roaming the earth again is merely impossible, extensive research will help us discover things that we did not know about dinosaurs previously.

James Horner, the inspiration for Jurassic Park’s Alan Grant, claims that “chickens and birds are carrying much bigger chunks of dinosaur DNA than we are ever likely to find in the fossil record.” For the past decade at Montana State University, Horner has been experimenting with and researching bird DNA alteration. Even though Horner “has been an adviser to the Jurassic Park franchise for years, [he] says that the original idea behind the park- the creation of dinosaurs from intact, fossilized DNA- is unlikely” (Pyle). DNA is so complicated to preserve because of its size. DNA is is so massive and made of trillions of pieces, which are all held together in a cell nucleus by chemistry. The problem is that when the cell dies, the chemistry fizzles, which in turn causes the molecule to break apart. Since this process happens so quickly after the cell dies, Horner can be nearly certain that there is no residual DNA left after 65 million years (Pyle). Even though an exact replication of dinosaurs is virtually impossible, Horner and his team are working to create the closest thing they possibly can. Horner has said, “the proof of the concept has been accomplished. [They] can get teeth into a bird and just recently a team from Yale and Harvard have managed to retro-engineer [a bird’s] beak back into a dinosaur-looking mouth” (Pyle). So while the concept may be there, it is nowhere near the same as Jurassic Park. Scientists are not able to use preserved DNA to recreate dinosaurs, and probably never will be. Furthermore, the dinosaur mutants created in labs are likely to be the size of a dog, and not the typical enormous size you would expect. Horner is working on gathering DNA features from different animals to put towards the creation of dinosaurs.

All of this research can also greatly benefit the real world? Besides the wow factor, “learning how to switch genes on and off and figuring out what different genes do will have tremendous application in medical fields and into many other areas as well, including making better food” (Pyle). Imagine a world where humans are able to manipulate DNA in order to benefit our species immensely.

Horner estimates that in roughly the next ten years, he may be able to create a miniature dinosaur. It all depends on how long it takes them to find the necessary genes. They “might find a couple of these genes tomorrow or it might take 10 years. There’s just no way to predict” (Pyle). Since advancements in the field are typically not linear, the process could take of at any time.

Clearly there are have been no studies on present day dinosaurs, simply because they do not exist. There are only a minute number of scientists devoted to researching genetically engineered dinosaurs, and therefore, the findings can take years, and even decades to prove. While a fully functioning Jurassic Park is not likely to ever be possible, James Horner and his team of researchers are working to get as close as they can. Hopefully Horner’s prediction is correct, and within the next ten years, we will see miniature, dog-sized dinosaurs in our lives.