Jurassic World: Rebirth has renewed fans’ interest in dinosaurs by returning to the roots of the original Jurassic Park.
For the past 30 years, the franchise has been resurrecting dinosaurs through cutting-edge technology—a move that has been further enhanced in its latest installment.
But while there’s no question about Rebirth’s thrilling story and spectacular visuals, many still wonder how much of its science is fact and how much is fiction.
With that in mind, here’s a detailed exploration of the scientific accuracies and inaccuracies behind Rebirth.
Is Jurassic World Rebirth Scientifically Accurate?
In Rebirth, Zora (Scarlett Johansson) led the mission to secure dinosaur genetic material from a secret island facility.
Just like other Jurassic Park movies, the standalone sequel’s story centers on using advanced genetic engineering to bring dinosaurs back to life.
So, with real-world advances in genetics, like Colossal Biosciences' efforts to revive a dure wolf that has been extinct for 10,000 years using preserved ancient DNA, here’s what Rebirth gets right scientifically.
- Use of Advanced Genome Engineering – According to Ben Lamm, one of the co-founders of Colossal, the movie accurately portrays the potential of combining artificial intelligence (AI) with genome editing to manipulate DNA and possibly recreate extinct species.
“I believe that we are at this interesting junction where a combination of AI compute and genome engineering allows us to bring back extinct species,” he told ScreenRant.
- DNA Preservation’s Limitations – Just like what Lamm said, Rebirth shows that dinosaur DNA is no longer available because it degrades over time. In fact, the oldest DNA ever recovered by scientists is around 1.2 million years old, which came from a steppe mammoth.
So, since dinosaurs have been extinct for around 65 million years, there’s no way they can be brought back to life again.
“Now, there's not any dino DNA, because DNA degrades very quickly,” Lamm said. “I don't want to say ‘never,’ but I don't see a world where we will find intact dino DNA.”
What Are the Scientific Inaccuracies of Jurassic World Rebirth?
Sure, Rebirth features several scientific accuracies, but it also includes a number of inaccuracies.
If truth be told, much of the film features unrealistic technology, making the idea of resurrecting dinosaurs from DNA seem almost believable.
So, what parts of it are inaccurate?
- Dinosaur’s Size – The movie does match sauropods to their sizes based on fossil evidence. However, like all animals, real dinosaurs are born small, hatching from eggs and taking years to reach their full size.
So far, there’s no way to accelerate a creature’s growth—not even science can do it, making this aspect purely fictional. Additionally, some dinosaurs in the film appear much larger than they were said to be in real-life .
- Genetic Manipulation Complexities – Real-world genetics is far more intricate than how it’s portrayed in the movie. While geneticists have made groundbreaking discoveries in recent years, animal anatomy, genetics, and developmental biology are incredibly complex.
The human body alone has over 200 genes that interact to regulate height, with many genes playing different roles during development and adulthood.
Given this complexity, manipulating entire gene networks to create a new species, especially an extinct one like a dinosaur, is practically impossible.
- Resurrecting Dinosaurs – If there’s one major scientific inaccuracy in Rebirth (and in Jurassic Park as a whole), it’s the idea of resurrecting dinosaurs. While the depiction of advanced genome engineering may be loosely based on reality, bringing back actual dinosaurs remains a far-fetched fantasy.
In addition to the 65-million-year time gap, DNA degrades over time, making recovery and use of dinosaur DNA virtually impossible.
As Lamm put it, the creatures in the movie aren’t real dinosaurs. “They were engineered versions of super dinosaurs,” he explained.
So, while Rebirth may look convincing, viewers should be reminded that it’s ultimately a work of imaginative storytelling.
Keep it locked on Epicstream, your best go-to source for film, TV, and celebrity news!