4 ms·

Would it theoretically be possible to extract DNA from these samples or are is that out of the question ever in any situation?

rob74 7y ago
"Jurassic Park" anyone? Ok, this particular dinosaur wouldn't be particularly awe-inspiring, but still... :)
WhiteSage 7y ago
Yes, but DNA is very fragmented and degraded. All you can hope to do with it is some DNA phylogeny.
LessDmesg 7y ago
Restoring the full sequence is going to be like putting together a paper book that's been through a shredder. And if you're thinking about cloning a dinosaur, that's even harder because you'd need to recreate exactly the same environment as in that specie's egg, otherwise the embryo won't survive to hatching. Not impossible, but extremely hard.
- ramraj07 7y ago
  Restoring the full sequence of a proper sample after modern sequencing methods is already as convoluted as putting together a book after it's been through the shredder. Restoring the full sequence of damaged DNA (any that's left) after millions of years is like trying to do the same after the shredder stuff has been burned
echelon 7y ago
Impossible. DNA has an estimated half life of only 521 years [1]. It's a fairly reactive molecule due to the number of reactions it has to undergo to fulfill its purpose. I believe the T-Rex soft tissue [2,3] that has been discovered contained short polypeptide sequences. You can infer the codons from this information, but that elides promotor, signaling, non-coding, etc regions that will be of massive importance. Not to mention you won't get much data in the first place. Hundreds of years from now, any dinosaurs we recreate will be the result of creative genetic engineering and imagination. [1] https://www.nature.com/news/dna-has-a-521-year-half-life-1.11555 https://www.nature.com/news/dna-has-a-521-year-half-life-1.1... [2] https://m.phys.org/news/2019-11-mechanisms-soft-tissue-protein-tyrannosaurus.html https://m.phys.org/news/2019-11-mechanisms-soft-tissue-prote... [3] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dinosaur-shocker-115306469/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dinosaur-shock...
- tigerlily 7y ago
  > Hundreds of years from now, any dinosaurs we recreate will be the result of creative genetic engineering and imagination. Not to mention machine learning. I wonder if we get a bunch of samples from different individuals, could an AI simply just piece it all together?
  - rvense 7y ago
    If the information is gone, it is gone. I'm sure you could devise a "machine learning algorithm" that'll shove some random numbers in there, though.
    - mc32 7y ago
      It'd be like using machine learning to recreate unrecorded speeches of Marcus Aurelius or Alexander the Great word-for-word.
      - rvense 7y ago
        And in this climate I'm sure you could get some venture capital for that...
    - lm28469 7y ago
      Given how many AI/ML companies infer meaning from meaningless data the information being gone isn't an issue. /s
  - overcast 7y ago
    Machine learning from what? Existing dinosaurs? The data is gone, what you're suggesting is that some type of AI is going to literally create life from nothing. Considering we aren't capable of autonomously driving a car down the road without killing someone, we've got a while to go before that happens.
    - everdev 7y ago
      > The data is gone Correct > Considering we aren't capable of autonomously driving a car down the road without killing someone, we've got a while to go before that happens. These two problems are completely unrelated. Also, every form of transportation can result in injury or death, even walking and bike riding, so setting our goal at 0 deaths as a benchmark for success doesn't make sense.

rob74 7y ago

"Jurassic Park" anyone? Ok, this particular dinosaur wouldn't be particularly awe-inspiring, but still... :)

WhiteSage 7y ago

Yes, but DNA is very fragmented and degraded. All you can hope to do with it is some DNA phylogeny.

LessDmesg 7y ago

Restoring the full sequence is going to be like putting together a paper book that's been through a shredder. And if you're thinking about cloning a dinosaur, that's even harder because you'd need to recreate exactly the same environment as in that specie's egg, otherwise the embryo won't survive to hatching. Not impossible, but extremely hard.

ramraj07 7y ago
Restoring the full sequence of a proper sample after modern sequencing methods is already as convoluted as putting together a book after it's been through the shredder. Restoring the full sequence of damaged DNA (any that's left) after millions of years is like trying to do the same after the shredder stuff has been burned

echelon 7y ago

Impossible. DNA has an estimated half life of only 521 years [1]. It's a fairly reactive molecule due to the number of reactions it has to undergo to fulfill its purpose. I believe the T-Rex soft tissue [2,3] that has been discovered contained short polypeptide sequences. You can infer the codons from this information, but that elides promotor, signaling, non-coding, etc regions that will be of massive importance. Not to mention you won't get much data in the first place. Hundreds of years from now, any dinosaurs we recreate will be the result of creative genetic engineering and imagination. [1] https://www.nature.com/news/dna-has-a-521-year-half-life-1.11555 https://www.nature.com/news/dna-has-a-521-year-half-life-1.1... [2] https://m.phys.org/news/2019-11-mechanisms-soft-tissue-protein-tyrannosaurus.html https://m.phys.org/news/2019-11-mechanisms-soft-tissue-prote... [3] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dinosaur-shocker-115306469/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dinosaur-shock...

tigerlily 7y ago
> Hundreds of years from now, any dinosaurs we recreate will be the result of creative genetic engineering and imagination. Not to mention machine learning. I wonder if we get a bunch of samples from different individuals, could an AI simply just piece it all together?
- rvense 7y ago
  If the information is gone, it is gone. I'm sure you could devise a "machine learning algorithm" that'll shove some random numbers in there, though.
  - mc32 7y ago
    It'd be like using machine learning to recreate unrecorded speeches of Marcus Aurelius or Alexander the Great word-for-word.
    - rvense 7y ago
      And in this climate I'm sure you could get some venture capital for that...
  - lm28469 7y ago
    Given how many AI/ML companies infer meaning from meaningless data the information being gone isn't an issue. /s
- overcast 7y ago
  Machine learning from what? Existing dinosaurs? The data is gone, what you're suggesting is that some type of AI is going to literally create life from nothing. Considering we aren't capable of autonomously driving a car down the road without killing someone, we've got a while to go before that happens.
  - everdev 7y ago
    > The data is gone Correct > Considering we aren't capable of autonomously driving a car down the road without killing someone, we've got a while to go before that happens. These two problems are completely unrelated. Also, every form of transportation can result in injury or death, even walking and bike riding, so setting our goal at 0 deaths as a benchmark for success doesn't make sense.