Could scientists bring dinosaurs back to life? Researchers from London’s Natural History Museum say “chief dragon” is the oldest meat-eating dinosaur ever discovered in the UK.
T-Rex's long-lost ancestor was Welsh dragon
Could scientists bring dinosaurs back to life? Researchers from London's Natural History Museum say "chief dragon" is the oldest meat-eating dinosaur ever discovered in the UK.
The Welsh archipelagoa cluster of islands. was a brutal place. Primitive mammals and strange armoured reptiles roamed through the dense and humid jungle.
But chief amongst them was an apex predator. The tiny dinosaur was the size of a chicken, but it ruled the roostA phrase meaning to be in control. .
In the 1950s, four miniscule fossils were hauled from a South Wales quarry.
For years, they lay forgotten in a London museum, hidden away in a drawer of crocodile bones.
Researchers have uncovered the fossils and come to an incredible conclusion. The bones belong to the oldest meat-eating dinosaur ever discovered in the UK. Scientists have named the new species Pendraig milneraePendraig means chief dragon in Middle Welsh. The dinosaur's name also honours palaeontologist Angela Milner. , Middle Welsh for "chief dragon". It lived more than 200 million years ago.
This is an extraordinary discovery. By the time its descendants were wiped out 66 million years ago, the chief dragon was already a fossil.
"What's so interesting and important here is that we're getting to see the very early stages of the evolution of the dinosaurs," says scientist Dr Stephan Spiekman.
The Pendraig may not sound that scary, but the theropodA group of dinosaurs that walked on two legs and often had feathers. Pigeons are theropods. evolved into some of the most terrifying predators to roam the Earth.
The spinosaurus crushed its prey with its crocodilian skull. The carnivorous tyrannosaurus snapped bones with its serrated teeth.
Could Jurassic Park become a reality? Scientists point out that to clone dinosaurs, you first need their DNADeoxyribonucleic acid is the material in an organism that carries genetic information..
In February, researchers hailed a breakthrough when they found the oldest ancient DNA on record, belonging to a mammoth that died one million years ago. To clone a dinosaur, you would need DNA 66 times older.
There is another option. Dinosaurs still walk the earth. Today, we call them birds.
American palaeontologist Jack Horner worked as an advisor on all four Jurassic Park films. He is hoping to build a dinosaur by reverse engineering a chicken. Already, embryosAn unborn or unhatched offspring in the process of development. show how a beak could transform into a snout.
Critics say researchers should spend less time thinking about whether they could bring dinosaurs back, and more time thinking about whether they should.
In the years since dinosaurs went extinct, the world has changed dramatically. Their homes and food sources have disappeared.
Nobody knows how humans and dinosaurs would coexist. Introducing a new top predator could result in a battle for resources.
But Horner is more optimistic. "I wouldn't expect dino-chickens to be the same as the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. They're going to be domestic animals that we don't have to worry about."
Could scientists bring dinosaurs back to life?
Yes: It is possible, say some. Scientists know in theory how to clone the mighty creatures. One day, they may find the DNA they need. In the meantime, dozens are working on creating dinosaur replicas out of modern day birds. If they are successful, it will be an extraordinary moment for humanity.
No: Dinosaurs will never again walk the Earth, say others. Researchers have never even come close to recreating a velociraptor or a stegosaurus.
Or... It could happen, but that does not mean that it should. If we have the science to resurrect creatures, we should use it to bring back recently extinct animals - or save the ones that are dying out. Many would argue this is a better use of the technology.
Keywords
Archipelago - a cluster of islands.
Ruled the roost - A phrase meaning to be in control.
Pendraig milnerae - Pendraig means chief dragon in Middle Welsh. The dinosaur's name also honours palaeontologist Angela Milner.
Theropod - A group of dinosaurs that walked on two legs and often had feathers. Pigeons are theropods.
DNA - Deoxyribonucleic acid is the material in an organism that carries genetic information.
Embryos - An unborn or unhatched offspring in the process of development.
T-Rex’s long-lost ancestor was Welsh dragon
Glossary
Archipelago - a cluster of islands.
Ruled the roost - A phrase meaning to be in control.
Pendraig milnerae - Pendraig means chief dragon in Middle Welsh. The dinosaur’s name also honours palaeontologist Angela Milner.
Theropod - A group of dinosaurs that walked on two legs and often had feathers. Pigeons are theropods.
DNA - Deoxyribonucleic acid is the material in an organism that carries genetic information.
Embryos - An unborn or unhatched offspring in the process of development.