A fossilized mosquito preserved for 46,000,000 years was discovered with blood still inside its abdomen a rare snapshot of ancient life frozen in time
this post was submitted on 01 May 2026
232 points (99.2% liked)
science
26827 readers
870 users here now
A community to post scientific articles, news, and civil discussion.
dart board;; science bs
rule #1: be kind
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_DNA
Yea, but you can get partial DNA sequences and then fill the rest in with frogs or some shit.
Depending on the source DNA seems to have a half life of 500-1500 years. This source calculates with slightly over 500 years. Permafrost samples may be more on the upper end of the scale but the message would be similar:
https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/how-long-does-dna-last
What if we used a time machine, go back in time, place a mosquito on a dinosaur, then when all full of blood place it into a cryogenic container that can last say 70+million years, go back to the present, find the container, and sequence the DNA?
Why not just bring the mosquito back? Or the actual dinosaur?
(That was the joke. Well, an attempt at a joke at least.)
It was too early in the morning for me to pick up on that.
My fault, not yours.
No worries, I get mistaken for a stupid person all the time (... but I added the word "mistaken" there out of my own hubris, deep down I know those are no mistakes).
Science is supposed to be complicated, dammit! /s
Oh, you also attended Rube Goldberg University?
Good ol' RGU. The Fightin' Contraptions.
I think that was the joke
Probably
Well not with that attitude. Have fun being dinosaurless while we're out here jousting on velociraptors
If you say it like that, I'll happily abandon science to go velocitaptor jousting with you!