De-extinction

[JudeB]

How do you feel about scientists trying to bring back extinct animals like the mammoth and the dodo? Do you think it'll actually work?

 

[Outdated]

How I feel depends on what animals they're talking about and the reasons behind why they want to do such a thing. The Australian Government and many interested parties have thrown a lot of money behind the de-extinction of the Tasmanian Thylacine because it was a very important part of maintaining balance in that ecosystem but early white farmers didn't like them and hunted them to extinction.

It's going to take them a lot of years and a lot more money but I believe it can be done. Other people must also believe or they wouldn't be throwing money behind it.

Thylacine Integrated Genomic Restoration Research Lab | TIGRR LAB

 

[Shevek]

How do you feel about scientists trying to bring back extinct animals like the mammoth and the dodo? Do you think it'll actually work?

We don't leave room for hundreds of still living species - I'd rather put that budget into saving their homes. Also, regarding mammoths in particular, it may be a situation like Horses vs Zebras. They look similar, but the Zebra can't be domesticated. Mammoths look like elephants, but they may kill hominids on sight.

 

[Outdated]

They look similar, but the Zebra can't be domesticated. Mammoths look like elephants, but they may kill hominids on sight.

Tasmanian farmers aren't going to be too happy about the return of the thylacine, it's an incredibly efficient large predator, the marsupial equivalent of a large cat. Sheep will form part of their diet along with many other domestic animals, but this time around no one will dare shoot one.

 

[Hypnalis]

How I feel depends on what animals they're talking about and the reasons behind why they want to do such a thing. The Australian Government and many interested parties have thrown a lot of money behind the de-extinction of the Tasmanian Thylacine because it was a very important part of maintaining balance in that ecosystem but early white farmers didn't like them and hunted them to extinction.

It's going to take them a lot of years and a lot more money but I believe it can be done. Other people must also believe or they wouldn't be throwing money behind it.

Thylacine Integrated Genomic Restoration Research Lab | TIGRR LAB

Thylacines seem like an ideal candidate for this.


Do they have enough DNA to reliably recreate the entire genome at some point?
And/or is there anything still extant that's fairly close to them?

 

[Outdated]

Do they have enough DNA to reliably recreate the entire genome at some point?

Yes, they have enough to keep experimenting for quite a few years yet.

And/or is there anything still extant that's fairly close to them?

Their nearest relative is a Dunnart, a small shrew like creature. Another near relative is the Tasmanian Devil, about the size of a house cat. The aim is to genetically modify and fertilise dunnart ovum and to use tassy devils as surrogate mothers. The resulting offspring will need to be hand raised by humans and introduced to the wild when they have enough numbers to support each other.

From there it will take several generations for the animal's natural character to begin to establish itself properly again, for them to become truly wild and a part of the ecosystem.

 

[Hypnalis]

Sounds promising!

Do they know how much "gene editing" will be needed for them to "hijack" Dunnart DNA?

 

[Outdated]

Do they know how much "gene editing" will be needed for them to "hijack" Dunnart DNA?

Yep, all that part is done now. They're just waiting on additional funding to start trying to actually manipulate the genes in real embryos instead of just running computer simulations.

Research | Thylacine Integrated Genomic Restoration Research Lab

 

[JayLapointe]

How do you feel about scientists trying to bring back extinct animals like the mammoth and the dodo? Do you think it'll actually work?

I think if it is an animal that humanity has forced extinct in the last 1-2000 years sure. Things that went extinct like the mammoths due to natural circumstances like the end of an ice age, no. Nature took it's proper course with the mammoth, we did kill out the dodo so bring it back. But only bring it back if we have natural habitat for it. We don't want to start introducing things into the wrong ecosystems and just end up causing more harm than good.


Honestly though I think the focus should be on saving the species currently in trouble versus trying to bring back already lost ones.

 

[Outdated]

I think if it is an animal that humanity has forced extinct in the last 1-2000 years sure.

The last Thylacine died in a zoo in 1936, and many museums around Australia kept specimens which is how we ended up with large quantities of still viable DNA.