Jurassic Park ruled out – dinosaur DNA could not survive in amber

Laura Dern and Sam Neill in Jurassic Park

The scientists found they were unable to detect any ancient DNA in the samples they examined, which were between 60 to 10,600 years old.

It suggests that in older amber samples that are millions of years old, the chances of being able to extract intact DNA is even slimmer.

Dr David Penney, an amber expert at the University of Manchester, said: "Intuitively, one might imagine that the complete and rapid engulfment in resin, resulting in almost instantaneous demise, might promote the preservation of DNA in a resin entombed insect, but this appears not to be the case. So, unfortunately, the Jurassic Park scenario must remain in the realms of fiction."

Universal Pictures announced this week that the fourth Jurassic Park film, which is to be called Jurassic World, will be released in cinemas in 2015.

Although details of the film have been sketchy, it will be directed by Colin Trevorrow and Steven Spielberg, who directed the original film and the 1997 sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park, will be the executive producer.

There have been reports that the film will return to the original setting on the Isla Nublar and will feature new dinosaurs, while it may also be filmed in 3D.

In the original movie, a short sequence explained how scientists had managed to extract dinosaur DNA from insects that had been preserved in amber, the resin from trees that hardens and then becomes fossilised.

The plot revolved around the ability to extract enough of the DNA from blood that had just been sucked by mosquitoes and other insects for it to be combined with DNA from modern amphibians and reptiles to clone dinosaurs.

Sam Neill in Jurassic Park

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Jurassic Park ruled out - dinosaur DNA could not survive in amber