RE: Jurassic Park Cloning, a pondering

["Mike Roush" <msroush@mtu.edu>]

Thomas P. Hopp wrote:

<When we know that much about DNA, we'll be able to make any sort of
creature we can imagine. >

I don't want to sound like an expert but this sort of genetic
engineering is incredibly complex from what I've learned in my current
class.  Granted you can express certain phenotypes just by inserting the
right combination of nucleotides but you are lacking is genetic
variation with in a population.  I mean that if we were to create a
population of dinosaurs (same species of course)  they would more than
likely become extinct rather quickly due to the lack of genetic
information because all we expressed for was basic life functions and
appearance.

The other problem that may be encountered with this level of genetic
engineering your proposing is that these newly created dinosaurs would
have no learned behaviors.  (I realize that this is assuming that
dinosaurs could teach certain abilities to their offspring.)  The lack
of these behaviors could seriously hinder scientist by giving a false
behavioral pattern for these created dinosaurs.  

<However, there will be limits. For instance, having seen the 
incredible bone histology of T-rex at the SVP meeting, I'm now convinced
that rex was BEYOND birds in terms of its bone physiology. Nothing has
such superbly organized fibro-lamellar bone, in my opinion -- not
mammals, not birds, not nuthin.>

Ummm....I only wish I was there to see this.


<So how could we duplicate the DNA that made such bone, 
lacking any modern examples? Idunno.>

The fact is that it may be entirely possible to "cut and paste" DNA
until we get an organism that resembles a dinosaur but we can not fully
"duplicate" dinosaur DNA.  It has become too fragmented and would not
able to create a clone.  But even if we did I wonder if it would even be
worth studying due to the fact that dinosaurs may (or may not) have had
certain learned behaviors.  If so cloned dinosaurs wouldn't necessarily
exhibit them.

Just some things to think about all those thinking of cloning their very
own Dinosaurs.


Michael S Roush
Department of Geology / Department of Biology
Michigan Technological University