We all loved Jurassic Park…but how would you like to deal with the famous movie franchise's fantastical plot in real life? According to one scientist, the reality might not be too far away, with predictions that the first new age of dinosaurs could be hatched within the course of the next five years. 

Star Wars director George Lucas apparently poured millions of dollars into a research project that looked at the possibility of making Jurassic Park – a movie in which an island holiday attraction turns into something of a prehistoric nightmare – a reality. 

And now paleontologist Jack Horner has said that he believes he can use a chicken egg to hatch a creature that will not only look like a dinosaur, but will also walk and act like one. The eccentric scientist already claims to have created hybrid creatures that have crocodile-like teeth and lizard snouts, but added that he is now ready to 'finish the job'.

And the best part? He can apparently bring this magic trick of pulling a dinosaur from a chicken egg to life for less than Hollywood special effects would have spent on faking it. 

While Jurassic Park movies saw scientists use dinosaurs perfectly preserved in amber back to life using original DNA, Mr Horner is looking to reactivate ancient DNA still present in modern day chickens to create features that would look like dinosaurs. 

"Using genetic markers, we’ve identified what genes turn on to make certain parts and what is resorbing that particular part,” Horner said. 

“We are looking for what kinds of genes actually take out whole segments of tail. Our next step really is now to get ourselves a colony of [geckos] and then see if we can take some of these pathways and actually see if we can knock out the tail. . . . We’re pretty sure that the tail genes we’ve discovered in mice will work here."

In other strange animal-related news, a house has come to market in Oxfordshire that has one of the strangest installations ever. As well as the standard kitchen and fitted bathroom, the Headington home has a rather odd three-metre shark sculpture protruding from its roof. ADNFCR-2867-ID-801760545-ADNFCR

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