“Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by sixty-five million years of evolution have just been suddenly thrown back into the mix together. How can we possibly have the slightest idea what to expect?” –Alan Grant

Jurassic Park was released more than 20 years ago at a time when the idea of de-extinction was just taking off. It’s been a month since Jurassic World was released on DVD, and we thought it was time to dig up this episode of Naturally Speaking. In this episode, a group of select taxonomists, geneticists, and ecologists Rod Page, Barbara Mable, Kirstyn Brunker, Julie Nati, James Buckley, Darryl McLennan, and Shaun Killen, join us to pick apart the science of this island theme park populated by dinosaurs created from prehistoric DNA.

Episode 13 – The Science of Jurassic Park

Naturally Speaking editor James Burgon has recently written articles on both the science of de-extinction (pg8-10) and the ethics of de-extinction, for a more contemporary take on the field make sure to check them out.

(Feature image of a T-Rex at Universal Studios “Jurassic Park”. Scott Kinmartin [CC BY 2.0], via Flickr.)