So will the science of Jurassic Park remain within the realm of fiction, or will someday genetically engineered mammoths, dinosaurs, and trilobites again roam the Earth?
It is unscientific to use terms like “never” except in cases where the realization of a phenomenon would require violation of physical laws of nature, and in paleontology paradigms are often overturned by the discovery of a single, fortuitous fossil, so especially in paleontology is it unwise to use the term.
Michael Crichton’s books were best sellers because they were plausible science fiction—as were Jules Verne’s and Arthur C. Clarke’s imaginings of the future. Some of their visions have been realized, others have not. It is the “possibility of the possible” that attracts writers to science fiction, and scientists to science.
Photo credit: http://www.3dscience.com
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