Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question youd like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Would it really be possible to get the DNA of dinosaurs and then recreate them? Lucie R., age 5, Atlanta, Georgia<\/p>\n As a paleontologist thats a scientist who studies ancient life Im asked this question all the time. After all, the scientists in Jurassic Park (and later, Jurassic World) used DNA to recreate dozens of dinosaurs: Triceratops, Velociraptor and T. rex. <\/p>\n And if you saw any of those movies, you had to wonder: Could real scientists do that today? <\/p>\n DNA which stands for deoxyribonucleic acid is something in every cell of every organism that ever lived on Earth including dinosaurs. <\/p>\n Think of DNA as molecules that carry the genetic code, a set of instructions that helps bodies and minds grow and thrive. <\/p>\n Your DNA is different from everyone elses. It determines many of the characteristics that define you, like the color of your eyes or whether your hair is straight or curly. <\/p>\n DNA is much easier to find in the soft parts of an animal their organs, blood vessels, nerves, muscle and fat. <\/p>\n But a dinosaurs soft parts are long gone. They either decomposed or were eaten by another dinosaur.<\/p>\n Dinosaur fossils are all thats left of those prehistoric animals. <\/p>\n Immersed for tens of millions of years in ancient mud, minerals and water, the fossils come from the dinosaurs so-called hard parts its bones, teeth and skull.<\/p>\n We find dinosaur fossils in the ground, in riverbeds and lakes, and on the sides of cliffs and mountains. Every now and then, someone finds one in their backyard.<\/p>\n Often, theyre quite near the surface, and usually, theyre embedded in sedimentary rock. <\/p>\n With enough fossils, scientists can build a dinosaur skeleton what you see when you go to the museum. <\/p>\n But scientists have a big problem when trying to find DNA in dinosaur fossils.<\/p>\n DNA molecules eventually decay. Recent studies show DNA deteriorates and ultimately disintegrates after about 7 million years. <\/p>\n That sounds like a long time, but the last dinosaur died at the end of the Cretaceous Period. Thats more than 65 million years ago. <\/p>\n Dig up a fossil today, and any dino-DNA within would have long since fallen apart.<\/p>\n That means, as far as scientists know, and even using the best technology available today, its not possible to make a dinosaur from its DNA. <\/p>\n Although its too late to find dino-DNA, scientists recently found something almost as intriguing. <\/p>\n They discovered DNA fragments in the fossils of Neanderthals and other ancient mammals, such as woolly mammoths. <\/p>\n Now that makes sense; those fragments are less than 2 million years old, well before all of the DNA would decay.<\/p>\n Just for fun, lets imagine that somehow, sometime in the future, researchers came up with fragments of dinosaur DNA. <\/p>\n With only fragments, scientists still could not make a complete dinosaur. <\/p>\n Instead, they would have to combine the fragments with the DNA of a modern-day animal to create a living organism. <\/p>\n That creature, however, could not be called an actual dinosaur. Rather, it would be a hybrid, a blend of dinosaur and, most likely, a bird or reptile. <\/p>\n Think thats a good idea? After all, the scientists in the Jurassic movies tried that. And you know what happened there. <\/p>\n Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question youd like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com<\/a>. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.<\/p>\n And since curiosity has no age limit adults, let us know what youre wondering, too. We wont be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The rest is here: Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question youd like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com<\/a> Continue reading
\nIs it possible to recreate dinosaurs from their DNA? - The Conversation US<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"