Dinosaur DNA Said Implanted Into Frog
Researchers hopeful creature growing in frog will have dinosaur traits
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Following the discovery of 70-million-year-old soft tissue from a Tyrannosaurus rex less than a month ago, the same group of researchers announced today they not only have isolated dinosaur DNA -- the blueprint of life -- but implanted the DNA into a growing frog embryo.
If scientists are successful, the resulting creature may look like a cross between a traditional frog and it's much, much older -- and far more dangerous -- ancient cousin, said lead researcher Mary Schweitzer Higby of South Carolina State University.
Using traditional techniques, Higby said that following the discovery of the soft tissue, and the resulting DNA contained inside the ancient cells and blood vessles, the door was essentially opened for attempting to create life with dinosaur traits.
"Getting to the DNA was easier than we had expected," Higby said in a telephone interview. "The vessles and contents of the bone was similar in all respects to blood vessels recovered from ostrich bone, making it fairly easy to isolate what we were looking for."
Higby said the sturdy T-Rex bone and the particulars of how it was recovered preserved the contents perfectly.
"It was almost like finding an insect trapped in amber," she said, reffering to the 1993 movie Jurassic Park.
The next step in the process is carefully monitoring the embryo implanted in the adult female frogs. Higby said they successfully performed the process on 15 African tree frogs, all of which are being stored under tight security in the South Carolina State University Labs in Orangeburg, S.C.
"We're not exactly sure what we will get," she said. "While it is unlikely a T-Rex will grow in the frog, the creature may look like a bit of each. Honestly we are not positive what will happen."
She added that if the creature inside the frog grows to be too large for the frog's womb, they have researchers on hand to remove the embryo and continue it's gestation outside the frog, similar to techniques performed at Duke University's School of Medicine.
"It does sound something out of a sci-fi movie, but I assure you this is no April Fool's joke," Higby said.
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