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So just as I've started reading Jack Horner's book, How to Build a Dinosaur, researchers claim to have brought a quagga back from extinction, a South African zebra-type animal that went extinct in 1883.

The project hinges on the idea that the quagga is not a separate species, rather a subspecies of the plains zebra. If so, Harley said, "it means that the genes may still be there in the current living population of plains zebra animals, but in a diluted form. By concentrating them using selective breeding, we can get back animals showing the full appearance of the original quagga."

After four generations of breeding, Dr. Harley and his team said they'd done just that. These animals — quaggas 2.0 — roam Elandsberg Nature Reserve, in South Africa.

This is similar to the premise of Horner's project to build a dinosaur... figure out which genes control ancient characteristics in birds (teeth, claws, scaly skin, tails) and switch those on, meanwhile suppressing the contemporary characteristics. Obviously these genetically engineered creatures will not be identical to their ancestors, but they could look like them.

Yes, I hear you, Ian Malcolm: "Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."

I don't care, you guys. I really want a pet dinosaur. Just a small one.