[Jason]

A paleontologist in Montreal plans to manipulate chicken embryos to give them dinosaur features, a first step towards hatching live prehistoric animals.

Hans Larsson told CTV's Canada AM the first chicken embryo with a range of dinosaur traits could be made within five years. However, that depends on the project receiving adequate funding, said Larsson, a 38-year-old professor at McGill University.

By flipping certain genetic levers at the appropriate point in a chicken embryo's development, Larsson believes he can instill features that disappeared from birds millions of years ago.

"We should be able to regenerate or essentially make the genetic program mimic the way it was at say, 150 million years ago, and grow a longer tail, change its plumage to something a little bit more primitive, have three-clawed fingers, some teeth," he said.

CTV.ca | Live dinosaurs on the way, Montreal researcher says