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Why did they use frog DNA in Jurassic Park?


It is mentioned early in the movie, that dinosaurs are more similar to birds than to reptiles. So at least in movie continuity, this is true as in reality. So why then wouldn't they use bird DNA instead of amphibian DNA?


In-universe explanations only please, please - I know the plot needed an excuse for the spontaneous sex-changing.



Answer



This is from memory and it's been a while since I've read the book and it is mostly mentioned there rather than the film but there are a number of relevant points linked together to form a vital plot point.


We can deduce from their success that the scientists must have found a way to succeed. In addition, and remembering that the book was written in the late 80s when the understanding of genetics was considerably less than nowadays, the science in Jurassic Park is not viable in the real world so we can also assume that genetics is less difficult to get working right. It's also viable to assume that the scientists experimented with several different theories before they found the one that worked. Using frog DNA was just the first theory that worked.


Dinosaur DNA is not complete so it must be 'filled in' with other DNA. Most of the DNA that makes up a genome is either 'junk' (we don't know what it does) or common (shared by different species). Frogs are amphibians which evolved before dinosaurs, therefore using their common or junk DNA would likely be a better fit than using lizard or mammalian DNA.


Certain frogs apparently have the ability to change their gender. Thus when the scientists used 'junk' Frog DNA to make dinosaurs it accidentally gave the dinosaurs the ability to change gender. This allowed the dinosaurs to breed which is revealed firstly when Grants finds a Velociraptor shell and then when Malcolm demonstrates a flaw in how the park measures populations of dinosaurs, thus justifying Malcolm's saying that 'nature finds a way'.


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