The rapid fire extinction of species worldwide that is occuring in current times is frightening. Modern scientists agree that the current extinction rate is “…hundreds, or even thousands, of times higher than the natural baseline rate,” according to the National Museum of Natural History’s website (naturalhistory.si.edu). Faced with a crisis, scientists are exploring different methods to slow down the extinction rate, or even reverse it — raising many questions about the morality of scientific resurrection of vanquished species. Resurrecting extinct species is unethical and unnecessary, and scientists should not attempt to reintroduce previously extinct species as it a waste of time and money that could be utilized elsewhere.
De-extinction, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, is the “…process of resurrecting species that have died out, or gone extinct” (britannica.com). Companies dedicated to the de-extinction of species have appeared in headlines nationwide, the flashiest of them all being Colossal Biosciences, a biotechnology and genetic engineering company founded in 2021, according to the company’s website (colossal.com). Colossal took the news by storm due to its promise to resurrect the woolly mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, and the Dodo bird, three species that went extinct before 1936. Colossal Co-Founder and CEO Ben Lamm said in an article for Newsweek that Colossal is on track for their first woolly mammoth calf to be born in 2028 (newsweek.com).
According to National Geographic Kids, there has not been a living woolly mammoth in 10,000 years (kids.nationalgeographic.com). Due to this, there is no intact woolly mammoth nucleus to extract DNA from to create a mammoth embryo — meaning creating a clone that is genetically identical to the woolly mammoth is impossible. Instead, Colossal will use CRISPR (short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), “a technology that research scientists use to selectively modify the DNA of living organisms,” according to the National Human Genome Research Institute (genome.gov).
Colossal will use CRISPR to modify the DNA of an Asian elephant, which is the woolly mammoth’s closest living relative. Colossal will insert, “specific genes that they consider most essential to being a mammoth: in particular, the hair and other adaptations enabling cold-weather living,” according to Vox. As a result, the genetic makeup of the woolly mammoth clones will not be exactly alike to the original mammoths that roamed the Earth so long ago, but rather a hybrid of a mammoth and an elephant (vox.com).
The issue with resurrecting the woolly mammoth, or rather, creating a genetically modified mammoth-elephant, is the lack of community support for the elephant, according to The New Republic. There is no guarantee that the woolly mammoth calves will be born without complications and then survive a full life. Even if the birth is successful, the woolly mammoth newborn will be isolated and surrounded by scientists recording its every move, ultimately reducing the calf to a test animal rather than a free species. In order for a newborn animal to successfully integrate into their community and become a fully-functioning adult, they need a mother who will guide them. There is a strong possibility that the Asian elephants will shun the calf, considering it will not look like the rest of the herd. The lack of community surrounding the calf will be detrimental to the calf’s growth (newrepublic.com).
Scientists argue that bringing back the woolly mammoth could help reverse climate change. The number of woolly mammoths needed to reverse such a significant portion of permafrost from melting is significant, and would take a copious amount of time and money to cultivate. With all of the money spent on this, there is no guarantee there will ever be a herd created. There are more beneficial organizations dedicated to combating and reversing climate change where the money could be invested, such as the Clean Air Task force, a Boston-based company dedicated to reducing air pollution.
Junior Arielle Bronshteyn does not believe de-extinction should be a priority at the moment. “Considering all of the global issues currently, I think the money that was invested in companies like Colossal should have been dedicated to more pressing matters. To prevent or reduce species extinction, scientists should prioritize taking care of animals that exist currently,” said Bronshteyn.
Animal de-extinction, while intriguing, should not be the top solution for preventing and reducing animal extinction or climate change. Previous attempts at de-extinctions have not been proven successful, and there is no guarantee that new technology will resurrect species that are thousands of years old. Instead of investing extensive amounts of time and money into a flashy solution, it should be invested into organizations that are dedicated to preserving current wildlife and preventing climate change from becoming irreversible.