Canadian scientist seeks to get dinosaurian traits out of chicken DNA

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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.

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No Jurassic Park, but intriguing nonetheless.


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Interesting.  I do wonder

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?

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a creation?

         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.

 

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Quote:Larsson said there are

Quote:
Larsson said there are no plans for that now, for ethical and practical reasons -- a dinosaur hatchery is "too large an enterprise."

 

Gee, I never would have considered that possibility. ;--)

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Jeffrick wrote:      If

Jeffrick wrote:

      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.



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?

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Well actually birds

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.

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In fact, Australian scientists at the CSIRO research labs

 

have already manipulated DNA to create a dinosaur. Under the Linnaean classification its name is archbishop george pell.

 

 

 

 

 

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As for me...

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


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:3

 I look forward to the human benefits from this.

 

Namely raptor burgers.


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ClockCat wrote: I look

ClockCat wrote:

 I look forward to the human benefits from this.

 

Namely raptor burgers.

Jawdropping! *Mouth waters*

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Conor Wilson wrote:BTW,

Conor Wilson wrote:

BTW, Watcher, good to hear from you.  It's been too long.

 

Hi Conor!


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Hey, Watcher...

...how, and where, have you been?

 

Conor


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I just had to clear out and

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.  Sticking out tongue

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I know about clearing your

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


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The coolest?   Well, its

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.

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:3