Media advisory: Real 'Jurassic World' not far from reality, professor says

LAWRENCE — “Jurassic World,” the fourth installment in the successful film series, will soon take viewers back to a world in which dinosaurs have been revived. While the films are works of fiction, what most people don’t realize is that we are close to living in a world in which it’s possible to revive extinct creatures.

Andrew Torrance, professor at the University of Kansas School of Law and Docking Faculty Scholar, has closely studied the controversial science known as “de-extinction” and is deeply involved in research on how law should be involved in regulating how to bring back creatures that were once extinct. Torrance, who has a doctorate in biology from Harvard, can speak with media about the new film, the possibility of reviving extinct species, how law can and should address de-extinction, and related topics.

While “Jurassic World,” which will be released June 12, features revived dinosaurs, that won’t be happening in reality anytime soon. The fossils are too old and contain too little usable DNA. However, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for extinct creatures such as woolly mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, passenger pigeons and even the iconic dodo, to be revived in the near term.

“A decade ago, a group of researchers in Spain successfully resurrected a bucardo, a recently extinct Iberian ibex. Sadly, the baby bucardo died hours after its birth due to lung complications,” Torrance said. “However, this established that de-extinction via cloning is technically feasible. Over the ensuing ten years, advances in biological science have offered several new methods by which extinct organisms might be revived more easily and accurately. Most prominent among these is a technique called CRISPR, or gene editing, which is capable of precisely altering the genetic sequence of living organisms’ genomes to transform their genomes into genomes matching extinct relatives. Using CRISPR, it is likely that approximations of extinct organisms, like Steller sea cows, Tasmanian wolves and giant moas could be created within the next few years. High-fidelity copies of extinct organisms remain a more distant possibility, but, with the breakneck speed at which biotechnology is improving, the first of these could be born within the next decade. People will have to wait quite awhile for dinosaurs to move out of the realm of film and into the real world.”

Torrance has argued that ethical and legal questions are just as important as technological concerns regarding de-extinction. Everything from how revived species would affect current ecosystems to which nations would house revived creatures, to who would be liable for damage such animals caused, and many others should be addressed, he says, and preferably prior to revival and release.

“Almost every technology has dual uses; it can deliver benefits to society or inflict harm on it. This is as true of electric cars, new steroids and the Internet as it is of de-extinction,” Torrance said. “Law translates society's preferences into binding and enforceable rules. There is already a large body of law surrounding the acceptable practices and uses of biotechnology, the treatment and protection of endangered species, the regulation of non-native and potentially invasive organisms and the ownership of and liability for genetically engineered organisms. These are likely to apply to de-extinct organisms as soon as they exist in flesh and blood. In addition, any special threats or challenges that arise as a result of resurrected organisms are certain to spur new legal responses. Like any technology, however, it is important that the law regulate de-extinction carefully and wisely, so that its benefits are considered alongside its costs and risks. If anything, the realities of de-extinction will be far more exciting than anything Hollywood can yet conceive, so society must be ready and able to ensure that such excitement is channeled in a positive direction.”

To schedule an interview, contact Mike Krings at 785-864-8860 or mkrings@ku.edu.