75-million-year-old dinosaur blood and collagen discovered in fossil fragments

[alexeratops]

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jun/09/75-million-year-old-dinosaur-blood-and-collagen-discovered-in-fossil-fragments


Gosh, if the DNA turns out to be there, we could clone dinosaurs! Could it really be happening, and in my lifetime?! What perfect timing for Jurassic World 

[Tyrannosauron]

Gosh, if the DNA turns out to be there, we could clone dinosaurs! Could it really be happening, and in my lifetime?! What perfect timing for Jurassic World 

Alas, it's unlikely: http://www.livescience.com/23861-fossil-dna-half-life.html

Under ideal conditions, all the DNA bonds would be completely destroyed in bone after about 6.8 million years.

[DinoLord]

And even if the DNA is intact and complete, cloning the animals themselves presents a whole other set of challenges. So far, only mammals have been cloned - there have been no clonings (or even attempts to my knowledge) of birds or reptiles. Given how hard it was to start cloning extant mammals back when the technology was in its infancy (and it's still challenging with most species), genetic technology has a very long way to go before potentially cloning viable specimens of long-extinct dinosaurs. And if clones can somehow be made, then there are the various considerations of different atmospheric composition, foreign pathogens, diet, etc.

This is a very cool discovery though; I'm interested in seeing if any more similar ones are made in the future!

[Dikiyoba]

The article's use of "crap" fossils makes me chortle far too much. Now to find soft tissue in coprolites!

[Dinomike]

Super exciting. Here's another link:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dinosaur-soft-tissue-recovered-eight-cretaceous-era-fossils-180955538/