Could a Fossilized Mosquito Resurrect Dinosaurs?

They've finally found a fossilized mosquito full of prehistoric blood! So a real Jurassic Park is right around the corner, right? Trace explains what exactly this discovery means, and if this means you'll be visiting Isla Nublar any time soon.

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Hemoglobin-derived porphyrins preserved in a Middle Eocene blood-engorged mosquito
"Although hematophagy is found in ?14,000 species of extant insects, the fossil record of blood-feeding insects is extremely poor and largely confined to specimens identified as hematophagic based on their taxonomic affinities with extant hematophagic insects; direct evidence of hematophagy is limited to four insect fossils in which trypanosomes and the malarial protozoan Plasmodium have been found."

A Fossilized Blood-Engorged Mosquito Is Found For the First Time Ever
"In the 20 years since the movie Jurassic Park fantasized about how dinosaurs could be cloned from blood found in ancient amber-trapped mosquitoes, fossil collectors have been on the hunt for a similar specimen. Over the years, a few different groups of scientists have claimed to find a fossilized mosquito with ancient blood trapped in its abdomen, but each of these teams' discoveries, in turn, turned out to be the result of error or contamination."

First Fossil of Blood-Filled Mosquito Discovered
"Through a series of events that scientists themselves admit was "extremely improbable," a mosquito that feasted on the blood of Eocene animals some 46 million years ago managed to die and become trapped in sediment, but remain in tact, all while carrying a belly full of blood - its last meal."

How long does DNA last?
"Human DNA has been recovered from a Neanderthal fossil 70,000 years old. That's a record, but there may be plenty of DNA recoverable from a human body 10, 50 or even 150 years after death."

Shades of 'Jurassic Park;' Ancient mosquito's last blood supper trapped in fossil, study says
"In a steamy tropical forest 46 million years ago, a prehistoric mosquito bit a critter, drew blood and was blown into a lake in what is now northwestern Montana. Belly full, she died and sank."

DNA has a 521-year half-life
"Few researchers have given credence to claims that samples of dinosaur DNA have survived to the present day, but no one knew just how long it would take for genetic material to fall apart. Now, a study of fossils found in New Zealand is laying the matter to rest - and putting an end to hopes of cloning a Tyrannosaurus rex."

'Jurassic Park' May Be Impossible, But Dino DNA Lasts Longer Than Thought
"In "Jurassic Park," scientists extract 80-million-year-old dino DNA from the bellies of mosquitoes trapped in amber. Researchers may never be able to extract genetic material that old and bring a T. rex back to life, but a new study suggests DNA can survive in fossils longer than previously believed."

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[mkstoryland]

If Jurassic Park (or Jurassic World) becomes real and with enough security systems, it would beat Disneyland.

[meanstreak]

Just like Ian Malcolm once said - "Life breaks free" ."life finds a way"

[theblackbull]

Im sure there is a way to get dinosaurs back.

[grapiken]

The main thing.... Trying to comprehend a million years. You can't. Never mind a hundred million years! Just looking at that bug will drive you insane. It's impossible to comprehend the gap in time of when that bug lived. The Earth is very, very old.

[goldenfantasy]

BRING BACK DINOSAUR TO LIFE ALL OF THEM AND MAKE A PARK!!!!

[NickFarrow]

Maybe work on a Mammoths DNA first and they are younger.

[kaltzy]

1:40 only has a *HALF-LIFE*

half life DNA in mosquito from 15, 000, 000 years ago?
half life 3 was hidden all this time...

[StarSnowGhost]

I'm glad we're learning new things about the mosquitos. If we can learn about their evolution, it could unlock keys to stop their preying on us!

[Jengochase]

Thank you, D-News, for crushing my dreams this morning....

[Android-heid]

Ur vids make people’s hearts brake and there dreams fade away and I know that cus u made that happen to me

[reptilitronousprime]

If scientists ever found a way to resurrect dinosaurs back from extinction I suggest that they use a small dinosaur first, because I fear that a larger dinosaur might be way too powerful to handle, especially when it escapes.

[simplynumba]

... why do we want to resurrect dinosaurs?? Sounds like a scary idea to me.

[akkiavasthi]

Just mixed Elephant DNA with Reptiles like Chameleon and bingo you can create Monsters.🤣

[SolMetta]

Earth's air compound was different when dinosaurs were living. Even if we make a dinosaur, it has to breath the very same air that it used to in its own time. Then we have to recreate those plants and/or animals that it used to eat... a micro-environment where it feels itself home. And it should be hermetically closed, not to interact Earth's current biosphere. In my opinion cloning dinosaurs is the easiest part, giving them a place to live is much harder.

[wehweh]

Damn it and I was hoping to get eaten alive by a Velociraptor :(

[ShawnRavenfire]

Well, we may not be able to clone a dinosaur, but there's always hope for bringing one back through time-travel.

[Charliegames]

I remember being told that during WWII some people in Europe started living in subways, and of course some mosquitoes came with. After the people left, some mosquitoes remained behind and adapted to eat feces rather than blood. I'm not sure if it's true, but if it is, would you rather have those mosquitoes than the normal blood-drinking ones?

[alexalcan]

And what if I'm happy we CAN'T make a T-Rex? Or many of them.

[equarg]

I am sure someone will figure out how to tweak chicken DNA to get a Dinosaur like creature.
They better keep it small because a 7 ton chicken is gonna be HUNGRY and human sized creatures will be nice morsals!

[Nemenon]

You've crushed my hopes of ever being able to ride a T-Rex.