# Genetically engineered "dinochicken" proposed **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 18, 2009, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825 "2009-03-18T01:34:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/1 "2009-03-18T01:34:56Z")
From this month’s Discover magazine, [article here](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29537188/'). Basically, they’ve proposed reactivating the dormant genes in birds to restore reptilian traits such as teeth, forelimbs and long tails. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/2 "2009-03-18T01:39:51Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > From this month’s Discover magazine, [article here](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29537188/'). Basically, they’ve proposed reactivating the dormant genes in birds to restore reptilian traits such as teeth, forelimbs and long tails. Your URL got messed up by mixing " and ’ symbols. Here’s a working link: [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29537188/](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29537188/) ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/3 "2009-03-18T01:43:14Z")
I wonder if dinosaur tastes good. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/4 "2009-03-18T01:55:47Z")
I bet it tastes like chicken. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/5 "2009-03-18T02:44:19Z")
Neat! Reminds me of that children’s book where a chicken lays a dinosaur egg. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/6 "2009-03-18T04:00:32Z")
I think, given their relative ages, with seniority and all, it’s more appropriate to say that chicken tastes just like dinosaur. And I love this idea. Soon we’ll have savage, killer chicken running across the prairies, feasting on any small children foolish enough to stray from the nature trails in our parks. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/7 "2009-03-18T04:07:39Z")
Looks like chicken-catching is going to become a hazardous profession. Move over, coal miners. ---
**Author:** ![Rich\_Mann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@Rich\_Mann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rich_Mann)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/8 "2009-03-18T09:54:45Z")
[Kent Brockman] I for one welcome our new paleo-poultry overlords! [/KB] Somebody was going to do it sooner or later anyway… ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/9 "2009-03-18T12:43:36Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I think, given their relative ages, with seniority and all, it’s more appropriate to say that chicken tastes just like dinosaur. > > And I love this idea. Soon we’ll have savage, killer chicken running across the prairies, feasting on any small children foolish enough to stray from the nature trails in our parks. [Dr. Ian Malcom]Nature finds a way! There there will be screaming and running and Jurassic Park 4![/DIM] ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/10 "2009-03-18T14:06:46Z")
Wait, what happened to the four-legged chickens? I think we should just stick with that, I can’t see Buffalo Chicken Tails or Chicken Arms being big sellers. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/11 "2009-03-18T14:09:32Z")
What, chickens aren’t dangerous enough already?! ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/12 "2009-03-18T14:26:28Z")
As a fan of “because we can” genetic tinkering, I heartily approve. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/13 "2009-03-18T14:29:06Z")
Mmmmm… KFD. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/14 "2009-03-18T14:33:20Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Mmmmm… KFD. We’re gonna need a bigger bucket. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/15 "2009-03-18T16:26:45Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Neat! Reminds me of that children’s book where a chicken lays a dinosaur egg. Holy cow, I loved that book, and I had completely forgotten about it until just this minute. What was it called again? ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/16 "2009-03-18T16:50:33Z")
I read the article and didn’t quite understand why this was of any significance. I mean, they weren’t saying the resulting mutant would in any way _be_ a dinosaur, just that they could mess with genetic switches and have them express some reptilian features. Struck me as a far cry from actually “turning back the evolution clock” as they seemed to initially suggest. What they actually discussed didn’t seem all that far removed from having flies sprout eyes and legs in inconvenient places - not exactly news. Every modern day species has huge chunks of genetic material that it shares with other species. I just didn’t see how the creation of “dinochickens” was any different than any experiment turning markers on or off to create “monsters”. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/17 "2009-03-18T17:25:34Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > I bet it tastes like chicken. 🙂 In future, Chicken tastes you. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/18 "2009-03-18T18:12:42Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I read the article and didn’t quite understand why this was of any significance. > I mean, they weren’t saying the resulting mutant would in any way _be_ a dinosaur, just that they could mess with genetic switches and have them express some reptilian features. > Struck me as a far cry from actually “turning back the evolution clock” as they seemed to initially suggest. > What they actually discussed didn’t seem all that far removed from having flies sprout eyes and legs in inconvenient places - not exactly news. > Every modern day species has huge chunks of genetic material that it shares with other species. > I just didn’t see how the creation of “dinochickens” was any different than any experiment turning markers on or off to create “monsters”. The difference is that the “monsters” they intend to create will be very similar to _real_, albeit extinct, animals, not mutant freaks with legs for eyes, etc. The implication being that if they can, by tweaking genetic switches, re-create an extinct animal, that further adds weight to the ideas a) that a significant component of evolution involves the tweaking of these genetic switches during development, and b) that birds did indeed evolve from theropod dinosaurs, and remain very much actual, non-extinct dinosaurs (and reptiles!). That, and they’re hoping for some medical breakthroughs along the way. As an added bonus, it will give the IDers something upon which to test their myriad theories 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/19 "2009-03-18T18:27:35Z")
Ian Malcolm: God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs. Ellie Sattler: Dinosaurs eat man… woman inherits the earth. We need to crosspost this to the ‘The most prescient words ever uttered in film or fiction’ thread. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825/20 "2009-03-18T18:31:16Z")
I’ll illustrate the potential dinochicken…check back in a couple hours! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-dinochicken-proposed/489825.md?page=2)