A few years back, venture capitalist John Hammond figured out how to re-create dinosaurs from DNA fragments encased in amber. He started a company called InGen, which placed the genetically engineered dinosaurs in a theme park on an island in Costa Rica. But the park systems broke down shortly before it could open, the dinosaurs got free and had to be destroyed and the island was closed to the public.

In the aftermath, everyone involved moved quickly to quash the story. InGen wanted to limit its liability. The Costa Rican government wanted to preserve its reputation as a tourist paradise. And the individual scientists who had been hired as consultants on the project were bound by nondisclosure agreements to remain silent.