Well, I don’t know if this topic was already talked but as I’m quite new here, I’d like to know what you all think. This is what scientists say There are a number of research benefits that come with de-extinction. For instance, some scientists believe studying previously extinct animals and lookin…

[image] maite39: they’re trying to clone an animals that went extinct a long time ago, two examples are the dodo and the wolly mammoth The dodo went extinct very recently — only a few hundred years ago. Barely yesterday. I agree resources would be better spent preserving habitats and protect…

Yeah, I also think it would be pretty cool to see these extinct creatures, but in my opinion we should also be concerned about the negative consequences that it could have if it doesn’t go as planned.

[image] teellbee: The dodo went extinct very recently — only a few hundred years ago. Barely yesterday. Long enough that the world of today is presumably different from the one they flourished in, though. Though I don’t know that bringing something that only went extinct recently back would …

[image] maite39: To me, it’s a waste of money. We could use that money to protect endangered species and make more restrictions on animals that really need our help. This isn’t an either or proposition. Colossal seems to be a private company with private funding. Most conservation efforts com…

[image] kevintoo: There is no reason to assume that if there were less funding for Colossal the surplus would go to conservation efforts. Fair enough, but there may be some overlap between people interested in reversing an extinction and in those who want to prevent further extinctions.

Possibly. The end results differ greatly though. If I invest 10 million dollars in a genetic engineering program that results in the first dodo that has been seen in hundreds of years I will probably see a return on my investment. That dodo and the technology that allowed it will have great monetary…

I wonder if de-extinction would increase apathy towards conservation efforts. Like, “oh who cares if that species goes extinct, we can always bring it back again.” I already get the sense that there is a group of people that see technology over conservation as the better solution (e.g., robotic bees…

yeah, I’m worried about that too… :neutral_face:

Some previous related threads include: https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/de-extinction-of-the-tasmanian-tiger/34727 https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/extinct-bird-species-youd-want-to-bring-back/33661

Bringing back extinct animals

Nature Talk

teellbee March 10, 2023, 11:39pm 2

The dodo went extinct very recently — only a few hundred years ago. Barely yesterday.

I agree resources would be better spent preserving habitats and protecting the climate for living animals.

Still sounds fascinating, though.

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Bringing back extinct animals

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