How to Repopulate the World with Dinosaurs

I know you're all sitting on the edge of your chairs for this one.  Try not to fall off when I tell you how to have your very own pet dinosaur.

On the walk back from the school bus yesterday, I had a very enlightening conversation with my ten-year-old son.  He and his buddy wish to repopulate the world with dinosaurs.

"Mama, I know how to create dinosaurs using chicken eggs and DNA."

I looked at that kid.  "Really?  How?"

"First you get some dinosaur DNA."

I wrinkled my brows.  "How exactly are you going to get dinosaur DNA?  Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years."

"It's easy, Mama.  You find a dinosaur tooth or a dinosaur egg, and you extract it."

Okay. Never mind that those things are fossilized rocks now.

"Then what do you do?" I asked.

"Then you extract the chicken DNA from the egg and replace it with the dinosaur's"

"Sounds so simple," I said.  "And you can do that without breaking the egg?"

"Yes, Mama.  Scientist do it all the time."

"Extract chicken DNA and replace it with dinosaur DNA?"

"No.  They extract and insert chicken DNA to modify chickens."

Oh.

So ladies and gentlemen, if you look out the window and see a triceratops pruning the trees in your backyard, you know who to thank.