Chikafrogonewtasaurus
Being an educator at the DNALC does not mean that everything has to be all “DNA”! Sometimes, it’s all about proteins. My background is in ecology and evolution, with a particular bent towards dinosaurs. In 2005, dinosaur paleontologists decided to slice the leg bone of a 68 million year old Tyrannosaurus rex, just to see what it looked like inside. They were in for a surprise. There were remnants of soft tissue – still present after 68 million years!!
In 2007, they were able to identify and compare seven protein sequences. Three of these proteins seemed to be closely related to chickens. Two others resembled frog and newt sequences.
Although tempting to contemplate, this does not indicate that T Rex was really a “Chikafrogonewtasaurus.” This information simply provides us with tools to better understand the relationships between extinct and extant animals.
Who knows, maybe we are getting closer and closer to a new “Jurassic Park” reality show…
| Print article | This entry was posted by Elna Carrasco on September 4, 2009 at 3:53 pm, and is filed under DNA Interactive. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. |
No comments yet.
Jumping Down the Road to Cancer.
about 12 years ago - No comments
Lying dormant in our genomes are millions of jumping genes. Originally discovered by Barbara McClintock, transposons are DNA sequences that can move from one location to another in our DNA. Transposons cause mutations when they jump to new locations, so keeping them from jumping is important. However, although transposons are largely silent, every person probably…
Hibernation – Why Not Me?
about 12 years ago - No comments
It’s the season of hibernation, something I’ve always wished I could do. Oh, to wrap up in a ball, sleep away the winter, and wake to a beautiful spring day – like Bambi! Although the thought has always intrigued me, it never really occurred to me what a feat hibernation actually is. It turns out…
Autumn Leaves
about 13 years ago - No comments
Autumn is my favorite season. I enjoy the cool weather, unpacking my sweaters from the attic and sleeping under my cozy comforter. But better than all of the above are the fantastic red, yellow and orange leaves that adorn the deciduous trees here in New York. Before I worked at the DNA Learning Center, this…
Can I Teach That?
about 13 years ago - No comments
Recently I worked with a group of graduate students who volunteered to be science mentors for students in New York City. They were being trained in a small set of hands-on labs designed to introduce genetics in an engaging, informal environment. At some point during the training, we touched upon genetic mutations and variation. I mentioned that…
Cilantrophobia
about 14 years ago - No comments
Growing up I was a very picky eater. When I didn’t like what my mother had prepared for dinner, I would usually just say, “I’m not hungry” and make myself a peanut butter sandwich. As a grown up, my food choices have changed a great deal, in fact, I enjoy trying new things and watching…
Sexual Selection
about 14 years ago - No comments
When we think about all of the living things on Earth, we immediately see how different we all are from each other. Many of these traits that might seem bizarre to us, evolutionarily speaking, have a tremendous amount to do with the survival. Many traits have been selected for by the opposite sex, because it…
Could Jurassic Park have been right?: Venomous Dinos
about 14 years ago - No comments
65 million years ago one of the most amazing and dynamic groups of organisms vanished from our planet, the Dinosaurs. All that remains are fossil records with gaping holes and missing data. Only recently has science began to unveil some of the mysteries of these behemoths. For decades it was believed that ancient DNA, proteins,…
The Confusion About Adaptation
about 14 years ago - No comments
One of the most difficult concepts to teach anyone is the relationship between evolution and adaptation. The majority of people I have worked with, both adults and children, are confused about this to some extent. Let’s first create a simple story to frame our discussion. Once upon a time, in a forest with leaves and…
Ida – Overwhelming or Over-Hyped?
about 15 years ago - No comments
Last week, the fossil skeleton known as “Ida” was introduced to the world with a fanfare rarely seen in the scientific community. Touted by publicists as the find “that will change everything”, Ida’s arrival on the world scene has provoked a mixed reaction from researchers and commentators. Ida was a lemur-like mammal that roamed central…
