New advances in paleogenomic DNA research

"Can we extract dinosaur DNA from mosquitoes in amber and clone live dinosaurs?" Is this premise from *Jurassic Park* scientifically feasible? The answer is no: given current technology and our understanding of DNA degradation rates, it is impossible to fully recover dinosaur DNA. However, exciting progress has been made in ancient DNA research in other areas that is worth following.

The half-life of DNA is approximately 521 years. Even under ideal cryogenic conditions, DNA sequences become completely degraded and unreadable after more than 680 thousand years. Since dinosaurs went extinct 6600 thousand years ago—far beyond this limit—any claims of extracting dinosaur DNA require extreme caution. In 2020, a study reported suspected organic molecular residues in dinosaur cartilage fossils, but this is fundamentally different from intact, sequenceable DNA.

The true frontier of ancient DNA research lies on more recent timescales. Genomes have been successfully recovered from species that went extinct within the last tens of thousands of years, such as mammoths, Neanderthals, and dodo birds, revealing their genetic diversity, adaptive evolution, and causes of extinction. Proteomics offers an alternative to DNA and can be preserved in much older fossils. Collagen sequence analysis has already been used to resolve controversies regarding dinosaur phylogeny.

Technological advances continually push boundaries. Next-generation sequencing can reconstruct short fragments from highly degraded samples. Ancient proteomics has identified β-keratin residues in dinosaur fossils, providing molecular evidence for feather evolution. Although dinosaur DNA remains inaccessible, these indirect molecular insights are filling gaps that fossil morphology alone cannot address. Science communicators have a responsibility to clarify the distinction between "Jurassic Park" and reality while showcasing the true appeal of ancient molecular science.