Although collecting dinosaur DNA from insects fossilized in amber has not yet resulted in a real Jurassic Park, scientists are still thinking about whether it might ever be possible to produce a living dinosaur. In fact, most of us see living dinosaurs everyday—birds—the descendents of dinosaurs. In the new Discovery Channel special Dinosaurs: Return to Life? I suggest that scientists may someday be able to “retro-engineer” dinosaurian characteristics such as teeth, scaly skin and long tails in modern birds. In fact, research is already underway by other paleontologists working on gene modification in chicken embryos. They have successfully produced embryos with longer tails and the beginnings of teeth. As this kind of research continues, I predict that within the next 50 years or less we will be able to flip genetic switches and produce living birds with dinosaurian traits.

Science is making it possible that we could retro-engineer a dinosaur from a bird, but should we? Experimenting with genetic engineering can be controversial, but experiments such as those discussed above can drastically advance our understanding of the process and mechanisms of evolution and relationships between birds and dinosaurs.