Scientists plan Jurassic archive

By Palab Ghosh
BBC science correspondent

Scientists may be able to work out how the diplodocus evolved

Researchers in the US say a new computer programme could reconstruct parts of the genetic make-up of animals extinct for millions of years.

In the journal Genome Research scientists say the programme could teach us how such animals evolved.

It is early days, but the system could in principle be used to create a computerised zoo.

It could perhaps hold the complete DNA of all the animal and plant life that ever existed on Earth.

This would be a remarkable feat.

Key moments

But the obvious question is: could the scientists do something even more remarkable, and bring any of these long-lost creatures back to life using cloning techniques, as happened in the film Jurassic Park?

Probably not, the scientists say - at least, not yet.

It is currently too expensive and time-consuming to recreate the DNA of all but the most simple forms of life - but who knows what might happen in the future?

In the meantime, the development is creating huge excitement among those who study evolution.

It could enable biologists to track important moments in the development of various species.

It could also give them more details of what ancient creatures were really like.

One key area of research will be to identify the genetic changes that made modern humans more intelligent than other animals.