Sweet Talking Rocks

A couple of years ago I mentioned a very interesting real-life project going on, where some scientists are attempting to bring back dinosaurs by discovering un-used genes within a contemporary bird species. I briefly described the project and had a link to a book here:


Paleontologist John “Jack” Horner – the scientist who acted as a technical advisor on the “Jurassic Park” movies — is trying to prove chickens evolved from dinosaurs by reactivating dormant genes in chickens that would produce a long tail, no feathers and teeth. In other words, a “dino-chicken.”

Dinosaurs Are Searching For A Path To Disney

Recently I was looking around the internet and I found a brief—a very brief—update on the project. The project is still in progress, and it is international in scope. Around the start of this year a French writer (I believe she is an amateur writer) interviewed the paleontologist who is directing the project. It was a casual interview apparently just for her blog, but she did get in one question about the genetic project:


VÉRONIQUE: How is your Chickenosaurus project going?

JACK HORNER: “It is coming along. A post-graduate from France from the University of Paris 6th arrondissement will come and look for the genes. She will stay 4 to 5 years. Once she gets here it will go pretty quickly.”

A talk with paleontologist Jack Horner

If there’s anything sexier
than a post-grad doing research
about dinosaur genetics
it’s a French post-grad researcher
working away in the Rockies
to bring dinosaurs back to life.

If I were extinct in a rock
and I heard a French voice call me
I think I would pay attention.

If I were extinct in a rock
and a French voice welcomed me out
I think I’d stay out. And eat well.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .



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