Dinosaurs ruled Earth for more than 140 million years before being wiped out by a massive asteroid collision. Is it feasible to resurrect these long-dead reptiles, and if so, would we really want to? Are dinosaurs coming back in 2050?
Are Dinosaurs Coming Back in 2050?
This may sound like the most far-fetched thought imaginable, but believe it or not, humans are anticipated to be able to bring dinosaurs back to life in some form by 2050. In 2016, the ASI or the Adam Smith Institute announced their strong belief that humanity would be able to resurrect dinosaurs by 2050.
Idea of Resurrecting Dinosaurs
The idea of dinosaurs coming back in 2050 arises from a DNA-filled mosquito that has been preserved in amber for several millions of years. But is it possible in reality?
First of all, what is amber? Amber is actually a tree resin that got fossilized thanks to high temperature and pressure over these millions of years covered under the earth. Over these years, the resin hardened to gorm a gemstone.
The scientists have mosquitoes and other insects that are preserved in amber. So, is it possible to extract DNA from the insects? It is interesting to note that amber in general preserves the husk but not the tissues. So, it is not really possible to find DNA in insects in amber.
Even if the mosquitoes had blood that has been preserved, there is no guarantee that DNA will be present in the blood.
Getting DNA is a very complex and delicate process. It can destroy easily by sunlight, water, or any other modern contamination. The DNA that we got thus far is from subfossils – body parts that were not fossilized or permafrost.
Can We Clone a Dinosaur?
The answer may be not what you are expecting. As we have already mentioned DNA gets destroyed easily. So, cloning a dinosaur is not really possible. But there are scientists who are still searching for ways to clone dinosaurs.
On the other hand, some scientists are trying to reverse-engineer. In reverse engineering, we start with a living animal that is related to dinosaurs and work backwards to get ancient reptiles. The process will not stop till we get dinosaur (at least that is the goal).
Even here, the results may not exactly match dinosaurs (either in physical or other characteristics).
Conclusion
Are dinosaurs coming back in 2050? The answer, as of now, is NO! Scientists are figuring out a way, but they have not yet found a way. There is also a question of how sane or how ethical bringing back dinosaurs is.
What are your thoughts on this? Do share them in the comment section.
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