The movie ‘Jurassic Park’ It’s been over 30 years since its release, but it’s still revered by film lovers today.
The work, directed by Steven Spielberg, became a true phenomenon and was one of the most watched film productions in history.
It was remarkable for several reasons, especially because it was the first to use computer-generated images, which considerably favored realism in the creation of dinosaurs for the cinema.
The success was so great that the film left an impressive legacy, becoming a content franchise.
In addition to two other feature films, in sequel format, the production also yielded a trilogy decades later and several other products.
And the scientific question?
Image: ‘Jurassic Park’/Reproduction
Special effects and realism aside, the scientific aspect of ‘Jurassic Park’ also caught the public’s attention. The story, taken from the book by Michael Crichton, presents a certain basis in science to support the plot.
An example of this is the information that the DNA extraction of prehistoric mosquitoes would be enough to clone extinct species from the genetics of amphibians. This correlation raises an immediate question: is this really possible?
Reality shows that science has not yet managed to extract viable genetic material from insects, nor from extremely well-preserved parts of dinosaurs found over time.
Would DNA conservation be viable?
The answer to this question is that it is impossible for a mosquito, like the one exemplified in the film, to have stored dinosaur DNA for thousands of years. This is certainly a flaw in the script.
To make matters worse, the mosquito that appears in ‘Jurassic Park’ is an elephant mosquito, which is the only species of its kind. type of insect that does not feed on human or animal blood. This makes the possibility that it contains dinosaur DNA even more unlikely.
About a decade ago, entomologist Joe Conlon stated, in an interview with the website Business Insider, that mosquitoes existed in the Jurassic period and that they certainly fed on the blood of dinosaurs.
On the other hand, the mosquitoes of that time are not the same as those portrayed in the film.
“Unfortunately, the species depicted in ‘Jurassic Park,’ Toxorhynchites rutilus, does not feed on blood. In fact, it is the only type of mosquito that does not feed,” he said.
Visible flaw: male mosquito
Another element that magnifies the film’s flaw is the fact that the mosquito that appears on the screen is a male, and only females feed on blood.
Furthermore, according to the script, the mosquito would have been found in the Dominican Republic. To date, it is known that no ancient dinosaur fossils have been discovered in the country.
Digging deeper into the case, the Daily Mail found that Spielberg chose to use the elephant mosquito, as it is the largest species on the planet and therefore makes filming easier.
It does not feed on blood, but is a predator that consumes common prey, such as microcrustaceans, rotifers and other hexapods.
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