Why can de-extinction not be used to bring dinosaurs back to life?

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Replica of a woolly mammoth with long curved tusks and shaggy fur on display in a museum exhibit, set against a dramatic painted landscape backdrop. — de-extinction The woolly mammoth (*Mammuthus primigenius*)—represented here by a replica in a Canadian museum—is an example of an extinct species that someday could be resurrected through de-extinction.

De-extinction is not a viable method for bringing dinosaurs back to life primarily due to the extreme age of their remains. Over the millions of years since their extinction, the DNA within dinosaur specimens has undergone severe degradation, making it impossible to reconstruct the genetic sequences necessary for cloning or other resurrection technologies.1

While modern science has made strides in genetics and genome editing—such as the use of somatic cell nuclear transfer—these techniques rely on the availability of high-quality genetic material from preserved tissues. Because dinosaur DNA has not survived in a usable state, they remain outside the scope of current de-extinction efforts.1