Canadian scientist seeks to get dinosaurian traits out of chicken DNA
Posted on: August 27, 2009 - 10:08am
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Canadian scientist seeks to get dinosaurian traits out of chicken DNA
MONTREAL — After years spent hunting for the buried remains of prehistoric animals, a Canadian paleontologist now plans to manipulate chicken embryos to show he can create a dinosaur.Hans Larsson, the Canada Research Chair in Macro Evolution at Montreal's McGill University, said he aims to develop dinosaur traits that disappeared millions of years ago in birds.Larsson believes by flipping certain genetic levers during a chicken embryo's development, he can reproduce the dinosaur anatomy, he told AFP in an interview.
No Jurassic Park, but intriguing nonetheless.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
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Interesting. I do wonder what specific traits he hopes to 'turn on' or if there's even a way to predict what traits might be 'turned on'. After all, he has no basis for comparison in 'flicking' these genetic 'switches' to know which are for dinosaur traits ...does he?
BigUniverse wrote,
"Well the things that happen less often are more likely to be the result of the supper natural. A thing like loosing my keys in the morning is not likely supper natural, but finding a thousand dollars or meeting a celebrity might be."
If this guy succeeds I can just hear the creationists now, "See, see if a man can create a dinosaur then god can to." Completely ignoring the science involved.
"Very funny Scotty; now beam down our clothes."
VEGETARIAN: Ancient Hindu word for "lousy hunter"
If man was formed from dirt, why is there still dirt?
Gee, I never would have considered that possibility. ;--)
=
Ah-hahahaha!
I find it reassuring that the thought didn't enter my mind. I know of at least a couple of creationists who could come up with backwards-ass shit like that.
As for the bird-to-dinosaur thing, it would be fantastic if someone did, in fact, make a bird with dinosaur traits, but I think creationists would be unconvinced. Something about Satan implanting such DNA would be another really solid creationist argument.
Not that all creationist arguments aren't incrediblly solid, just that my favourite is "Satan did it". Who could argue with that?
Saint Will: no gyration without funkstification.
fabulae! nil satis firmi video quam ob rem accipere hunc mi expediat metum. - Terence
Well actually birds technically are a type of dinosaur.
I heard about this a year or two back. They are manipulating Homeobox genes to switch on and off traits during the embryological development of chicks while they're still in the eggs.
And they have actually completed a lot of sucessful research on which genes to manipulate when during the development to bring out these ancient traits.
The cool thing is that it doesn't matter if they make a monster out of it.
Even if they escape and breed they would just create normal ol' chickens.
"I am an atheist, thank God." -Oriana Fallaci
have already manipulated DNA to create a dinosaur. Under the Linnaean classification its name is archbishop george pell.
"Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." Max Planck
I really hope this succeeds, whether or not the creationists buy into it/start using their heads/whatever else. It's just too cool of an idea. If someone obtains photos, please share.
BTW, Watcher, good to hear from you. It's been too long.
Conor
I look forward to the human benefits from this.
Namely raptor burgers.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
Hi Conor!
...how, and where, have you been?
Conor
I just had to clear out and get my head straight.
I also spent a lot of time studying. It got to be where I wasn't learning anything new. I was just debating with YECs that were unable or unwilling to learn.
I've been concentrating on chemistry, biology, and evolution for the past year a lot. But I grew bored with no one to piss off so I came back.
"I am an atheist, thank God." -Oriana Fallaci
I know about clearing your head. Even in my religious phase as a Catholic e-pologist, I had to do that--and for pretty much the reason you cited: dealing with people who *would* not (or could not) get it.
So...you came back looking for someone to piss off, eh? Sounds fun. Do I get to play, too?
What was the coolest part of your time in chemistry, biology and evolution?
Conor
The coolest? Well, its just learning about stuff. I think the coolest thing is when I read some new discovery about a technical piece of evolution and I think, "Well of course, that makes sense." Then I sit there for a second in shock that not only I understood technical jargon from the science but that I can connect the dots between what we should discover if everything is the way we think it is.
Those have to be the coolest.
"I am an atheist, thank God." -Oriana Fallaci