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UNDERSTAND DE-EXTINCTION In one tweet… De-extinction, fast becoming reality, has the power to save species, shape evolution and sculpt the future of life on our planet. 2 What’s the point of de-extinction? There are lots of good reasons to bring back extinct animals. All animals perform important roles in the ecosystems they live in, so when lost species are returned, so too are the ‘jobs’ they once performed. Woolly mammoths, for example, were gardeners. They knocked down saplings, ate grass and fertilised the ground via their nutrient-rich dung. But when they disappeared, the gardening stopped, biodiversity plummeted and the lush mammoth steppe was replaced by species-poor tundra. Studies suggest that if large grazers were returned to the far north, biodiversity would increase again. It could be the same for other deextinct animals, too. De-extinction provides a means to enhance biodiversity and help restore the health of ailing ecosystems. It could be a conservation tool, and by choosing to bring back animals that are genetically unique – like the gastric-brooding frog or the Tasmanian tiger (a stripy, pouched, dog-like marsupial also known as the thylacine) – we could replace not just twigs, but entire branches on the tree of life. Then there are the benefits that humans could glean. The gastricbrooding frog somehow converted its stomach into a makeshift womb. It stopped producing stomach acid so it didn’t digest its young. If scientists could figure out the changes involved in this, it could lead to treatments for stomach ulcers or could help people recovering from stomach surgery. Every day, between 30 and 150 species disappear from the face of our planet, and studies reveal that extinction rates today are 1,000 times higher than they were during prehuman times. We live in a time of mass extinction, and de-extinction has been proposed as a key way to undo some of that harm. To reverse extinction would undoubtedly be a huge moment for the fields of biology and conservation, and a feat that could motivate future generations of scientists and wildlife defenders. We could use DNA from preserved mammoths to create elephants with mammoth-like qualities Where would the animals live? De-extinction is a process that begins with creating a single animal in the lab and then ends, many years later, with the release and survival of sustainable populations in the wild. Ecosystems are fluid, dynamic entities – they change quickly. But if a species has gone extinct recently, there is a chance it could be returned to its original ecosystem. The Tasmanian tiger is thought to have gone extinct 80 years ago, but in that time, its native woodland has stayed more or less the same – this de-extinct species could potentially ‘go home’. A de-extinct Christmas Island rat, however, would not be so lucky. Since its extinction over 100 years ago, Christmas Island has become riddled with invasive species that would likely pose a problem. In this case, a suitable alternative habitat would have to be found. What is the ideal candidate for de-extinction? It may seem an odd thing to say, but one of the ideal de-extinction candidates could be an animal that is actually still alive… just. There are only three northern white rhinos left alive on the planet: a grandfather, a mother and a daughter, who spend their days at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. But they are too old, too ill and too related to breed naturally. So the northern white rhino is ‘functionally extinct’: the ghost of a magnificent species that once manicured the diverse African grasslands on which so many other species depend. Saving it counts as an 76 G E T T Y : P H O T O
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IN A NUTSHELL 1 WE’RE TURNING BACK TIME Scientists are on the verge of being able to reverse extinction. They are taking DNA from fossils and museum specimens, and using some fancy, high-tech science to make copies of various extinct animals. 2 IT’S ALL FOR A REASON The idea isn’t to create some lonely zoo exhibit or biological freak, but to generate entire populations of healthy animals that can breed naturally and live sustainably in the wild. Through their actions, and the positive e ects they have on other species in their ecosystem, de-extinct species could help boost the overall levels of biodiversity. 3 A NEW ERA FOR CONSERVATION? Despite the best e orts of conservationists, species are going extinct at an alarming rate. De-extinction is new, unfamiliar and untested, but it could become a vital instrument in the conservationist’s toolbox. Over the coming decades, we’ll be able to assess its worth and decide how, or indeed ‘if’, the technology should be used. BELOW: Cloned boxer dogs jostle for a ention at the Sooam facility in South Korea Elvis’s qui would be seething with DNA that we could use to bring him back to life act of de-extinction. For many reasons, it’s easier to de-extinct an animal from the recent past than it is from dim and distant history. But it’s easier still to focus on those that are still with us. The northern white rhino is currently the focus of an de-extinction project. But is it right to bring back extinct animals? Some people are against de-extinction because they say it feels unnatural. They are wary of genetic modification and accuse scientists of playing God. But proponents argue that the techniques being developed to make de-extinction happen all have natural counterparts in the wild. For example, there are species of lizard that reproduce via cloning, while the gene editing process being used to bring back the mammoth hails from a primitive bacterial immune system. Just as IVF has become an accepted medical technique, so de-extinction researchers hope that concerns about their experiments will fade once the science has proved its worth. Critics also claim that de-extinction is stealing funds and attention from traditional conservation efforts. But none of the big wildlife charities are putting any money into de-extinction, and a big resurrection success story could even help to draw attention to the plight of the world’s wildlife, rather than detract from it. It’s true that it’s still too early to know exactly how de-extinction will pan out, but its supporters argue that if we don’t at least develop the technology needed to make it happen, we’ll never make a genuine assessment of its worth. Could we bring back our pets? The labs at Sooam Biotech Research Foundation in Seoul, South Korea, regularly produce cloned dogs for the Korean National Police Agency and will even clone your pet pooch for around £65,000. But although the doppelgänger will look like your faithful friend, it will never be the same. Just as identical twins develop different personalities, physical characteristics and diseases, ‘Fido II’ will grow into a different dog. And how about… Elvis? If we can resurrect animals, could we bring back long-dead humans? In theory, it’s possible. Take Elvis Presley as an example. Scientists could retrieve DNA from some of his iconic quiff, sequence his full genetic code, edit the ‘genetic essence’ of Elvis into a regular human cell and then use that to create a cloned baby. In reality, though, it’s a terrible idea. Reproductive human cloning is illegal and unethical, and the process carries many risks. What’s more, a clone of Elvis might well end up more into drum ’n’ bass and Dr Martens than rock ’n’ roll and blue suede shoes. But this cheeky thought experiment does show how far the science underpinning de-extinction can take us. Elvis? Maybe not. But woolly mammoths and Tasmanian tigers? Don’t bet against it. X 2 : G E T T Y P H O T O S Helen Pilcher is a science writer, per former and author of BringBackTheKing:TheNewScienceOf De-extinction (£16.99, Bloomsbury Sigma). DISCOVER MORE Listen to aNaturalHistoriesepisode about the great auk at bbc.in/2baEzXs NEXT MONTH: HOW DO WE KNOW HOW THE SOLAR SYSTEM FORMED? 77

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IN A NUTSHELL

1 WE’RE TURNING BACK TIME Scientists are on the verge of being able to reverse extinction. They are taking DNA from fossils and museum specimens, and using some fancy, high-tech science to make copies of various extinct animals.

2 IT’S ALL FOR A REASON The idea isn’t to create some lonely zoo exhibit or biological freak, but to generate entire populations of healthy animals that can breed naturally and live sustainably in the wild. Through their actions, and the positive e ects they have on other species in their ecosystem, de-extinct species could help boost the overall levels of biodiversity.

3 A NEW ERA FOR CONSERVATION? Despite the best e orts of conservationists, species are going extinct at an alarming rate. De-extinction is new, unfamiliar and untested, but it could become a vital instrument in the conservationist’s toolbox. Over the coming decades, we’ll be able to assess its worth and decide how, or indeed ‘if’, the technology should be used.

BELOW: Cloned boxer dogs jostle for a ention at the Sooam facility in South Korea

Elvis’s qui would be seething with DNA that we could use to bring him back to life act of de-extinction. For many reasons, it’s easier to de-extinct an animal from the recent past than it is from dim and distant history. But it’s easier still to focus on those that are still with us. The northern white rhino is currently the focus of an de-extinction project.

But is it right to bring back extinct animals? Some people are against de-extinction because they say it feels unnatural. They are wary of genetic modification and accuse scientists of playing God. But proponents argue that the techniques being developed to make de-extinction happen all have natural counterparts in the wild. For example, there are species of lizard that reproduce via cloning, while the gene editing process being used to bring back the mammoth hails from a primitive bacterial immune system.

Just as IVF has become an accepted medical technique, so de-extinction researchers hope that concerns about their experiments will fade once the science has proved its worth.

Critics also claim that de-extinction is stealing funds and attention from traditional conservation efforts. But none of the big wildlife charities are putting any money into de-extinction, and a big resurrection success story could even help to draw attention to the plight of the world’s wildlife, rather than detract from it. It’s true that it’s still too early to know exactly how de-extinction will pan out, but its supporters argue that if we don’t at least develop the technology needed to make it happen, we’ll never make a genuine assessment of its worth.

Could we bring back our pets? The labs at Sooam Biotech Research Foundation in Seoul, South Korea, regularly produce cloned dogs for the Korean National Police Agency and will even clone your pet pooch for around £65,000. But although the doppelgänger will look like your faithful friend, it will never be the same. Just as identical twins develop different personalities, physical characteristics and diseases, ‘Fido II’ will grow into a different dog.

And how about… Elvis? If we can resurrect animals, could we bring back long-dead humans? In theory, it’s possible. Take Elvis Presley as an example. Scientists could retrieve DNA from some of his iconic quiff, sequence his full genetic code, edit the ‘genetic essence’ of Elvis into a regular human cell and then use that to create a cloned baby.

In reality, though, it’s a terrible idea. Reproductive human cloning is illegal and unethical, and the process carries many risks. What’s more, a clone of Elvis might well end up more into drum ’n’ bass and Dr Martens than rock ’n’ roll and blue suede shoes.

But this cheeky thought experiment does show how far the science underpinning de-extinction can take us. Elvis? Maybe not. But woolly mammoths and Tasmanian tigers? Don’t bet against it.

X 2

: G E T T Y

P H O T O S

Helen Pilcher is a science writer, per former and author of BringBackTheKing:TheNewScienceOf De-extinction (£16.99, Bloomsbury Sigma).

DISCOVER MORE

Listen to aNaturalHistoriesepisode about the great auk at bbc.in/2baEzXs

NEXT MONTH: HOW DO WE KNOW HOW THE SOLAR

SYSTEM FORMED?

77

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