Scientists are one step closer to creating a real Jurassic Park after discovering a world-first technique to extract DNA from fossils.

For the first time ever scientists at the University of Newcastle have extracted DNA from a 55,000 year old fossil and could help solve the missing link between dinosaurs and birds.

Christina Nielsen-Marsh, along with colleagues at the University of Oxford, Harvard University, and Michigan State University, made the discovery.

They examined the molecular structure of two fossilized Bison bones, one from Siberia and the other from Alaska. Two DNA molecules, mitochondrial DNA and the bone protein, osteocalcin, were extracted from a single bone.

The revolutionary work, developed by a Nobel-prize winning scientist, could change perceptions of evolutionary theory.

Scientist Nielsen-Marsh said: "This research is groundbreaking. It has the potential to be applied to much older fossils and extend our knowledge about the genetic make-up of ancient species further back into geological time."

Scientists in the hit movie Jurassic Park used DNA extracted from fossils to recreate dinosaurs. This breakthrough makes that kind of science fiction one step closer to science fact.

As a result of the study, the team has a new optimism regarding the potential for protein sequencing and extending molecular records stretching back millions of years.

Funding for the study was provided by the Wellcome Trust and the National Science Foundation.