Science & Technology

DNA of prehistoric horse sequenced

By T.K. Randall
July 8, 2013 ·  6 comments

Image Credit: sxc.hu In Jurassic Park, DNA retrieved from ancient insects trapped in amber was used to create modern-day dinosaurs, a concept that at the time of the movie seemed like a viable proposition. Since then scientists have emphasized that DNA deteriorates too quickly to be preserved for millions of years, rendering the idea of resurrecting dinosaurs firmly in the realms of science fiction.

All is not lost however as modern enhancements in DNA reading techniques have yielded some promising results. In recent years scientists have been able to map the genome of an 80,000-year-old Denisovan girl and now a team in Copenhagen have announced that they've been able to obtain the entire genetic sequence of an ancient horse species that lived 700,000 years ago.

If this technology continues to advance then it may be possible to read DNA dating back millions of years, meaning that a real-life Jurassic Park might not be quite so far outside the realms of possibility after all.[!gad]In Jurassic Park, DNA retrieved from ancient insects trapped in amber was used to create modern-day dinosaurs, a concept that at the time of the movie seemed like a viable proposition. Since then scientists have emphasized that DNA deteriorates too quickly to be preserved for millions of years, rendering the idea of resurrecting dinosaurs firmly in the realms of science fiction.

All is not lost however as modern enhancements in DNA reading techniques have yielded some promising results. In recent years scientists have been able to map the genome of an 80,000-year-old Denisovan girl and now a team in Copenhagen have announced that they've been able to obtain the entire genetic sequence of an ancient horse species that lived 700,000 years ago.

If this technology continues to advance then it may be possible to read DNA dating back millions of years, meaning that a real-life Jurassic Park might not be quite so far outside the realms of possibility after all.

Source: National Geographic | Comments (6)

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