June 28, 2019
There have been accounts of scientists identifying traces of well-preserved collagen inside of fossilized dinosaur bones. This discovery led some to believe we were one step closer to retrieving dinosaur DNA, and maybe even creating Jurassic Park in real life.
A researcher from the Field Museum in Chicago set out to Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta and collected dinosaur bones in a sterile way. These bones were analyzed, and no trace of collagen was discovered, but DNA was present.
The only catch is the DNA was from modern bacteria. The bacteria had colonized the cavities within the bones that had attracted moisture. Unfortunately, this may mean that reports of soft tissue found amongst fossilized dinosaur bones are actually bacterial biofilms, which would quash any hope of cloning dinosaurs from preserved DNA.
Source: UPI
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