Editing 758: Raptor Fences
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| titletext = If at least one person has a nightmare about being swarmed by hundreds of mouse-sized dromaeosaurids, my work will have been done. | | titletext = If at least one person has a nightmare about being swarmed by hundreds of mouse-sized dromaeosaurids, my work will have been done. | ||
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | In the film ''{{w | + | In the film ''{{w|Jurassic Park}},'' the protagonists are menaced (some fatally) by carnivorous dinosaurs, including very large {{w|velociraptors}}. |
− | + | The dinosaurs have been recreated via the sampling of | |
+ | ancient DNA recovered, primarily, from the stomachs of mosquitoes trapped in amber | ||
+ | (fossilized tree sap). | ||
− | The | + | The on-image caption suggests that the fear of being hunted by dinosaurs would be greatly reduced by genetically engineering them to be much |
+ | smaller than their original size, apparently to about the size of a cockroach. | ||
− | Note that while growth is dependent on genes, it is extremely unlikely that | + | Note that while growth is dependent on genes, it is extremely unlikely that |
+ | a change to a single gene could reduce an animal in size by the factor | ||
+ | of approximately 10,000 that is implied here. | ||
− | + | But perhaps no less unlikely than being able to | |
+ | recreate the dinosaurs at all in the first place. | ||
+ | People seem ready to ascribe almost limitless powers | ||
+ | to DNA and genetic engineering, but there are many practical constraints. | ||
− | The title text suggests that even very small dinosaurs could be terrifying to some, if they imagined a | + | The title text suggests that even very small dinosaurs could be |
+ | terrifying to some, if they imagined a large enough number of them. | ||
+ | The author would be pleased if this was the case. | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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[[Category:Velociraptors]] | [[Category:Velociraptors]] | ||
[[Category:Jurassic Park]] | [[Category:Jurassic Park]] | ||
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