De-extinction: Resurrecting Species That Have Died

De-extinction is the process of generating an organism that either resembles or is an extinct species. There are several ways to carry out the process of de-extinction. Cloning is the most widely proposed method, although genome editing and selective breeding have also been considered.

Wikipedia

I added de-extinction to the emerging future visual back in 2016 and described the scenario via this post. I came across this article recently that speaks to scientist attempts to bring woolly mammals back from extinction. The article states that “mammoth DNA, collected from tusks, bones and other preserved body parts found in ice, will be sequenced to create an “elephant-mammoth hybrid” that looks like a furrier, larger elephant with smaller ears and a high-domed head.”

The Harvard University geneticist and other proponents of the de-extinction movement say that along with new insights in the fields of biology and evolution, the project has the power to help repair ecosystems and improve biodiversity.

George McDonald Church – an American geneticist

There is also an interesting connection to climate change. The short video provides a description of the process.

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