The Pros And Cons Of De-Extinction

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According to National Geographic, the Giant Sloth, the Cuban Red Macaw, the New Zealand Giant Moa, the Tasmanian Tiger, and the Woolly Mammoth are all among the faction of species that are extinct but that could possibly be revived. In fact, a poll issued on National Geographic’s website allows users to simply and effortlessly vote for which extinct species they would like most to see resurrected. Astonishingly, scientists have actually finagled a way to potentially make this poll useful. Biological scientists have discovered a method to conceivably resurrect extinct animals from their evolutionary graves. Termed de-extinction or species revival, this concept has evoked a substantial amount of social, ethical, and legal friction. Although the idea may be appealing and alternative, de-extinction does not solve the current mass extinction problem. Not only does it avoid solving this tremendously pressing issue, it is also antithetical to the welfare of animals, and it promotes risky human attitudes (Marino). First made popular in Michael Crichton’s novel, “Jurassic Park,” de-extinction has become a very prevalent and widely acknowledged scientific topic. It is no longer simply just a concept from a sci-fi tale, it is an almost tangible reality. Although species revival is not entirely faultless, some scientists and conservationists consider it the pillar of hope. They believe that the process of de-extinction can revive biodiversity and reverse the negative effects on wildlife due to the disappearances of many species (Frison). Furthermore, they support their claim by establishing the point that species revivalism would present current generations with the opportunity to encounter some of the most astonishing and phenomenal creatures to ever live on Earth. Many also believe that by introducing these species back to the Earth, we, as humans, are redeeming ourselves for all that we have done that has contributed to their extinction. I understand these assertions, but they do not address de-extinction in the logical and direct way that it must be. To begin, de-extinction is inconsistent with the welfare of current existing species. …show more content…
It can not be ignored or disregarded that individual animals have the capacity to suffer. In order to produce one woolly mammoth, several modern female elephants will need to be impregnated for one to give birth to a surviving offspring (Marino). That is a countless amount of individual pachyderms that must be sacrificed to produce one surviving baby. “De-extinction will not be possible without violating any reasonable standard of humane treatment. For that reason alone it is unethical.” (Marino). Moreover, De-extinction is not practical in that it ignores the current mass extinction problem. Precedence should be given to the effort of preventing endangered species from going extinct, not to the effort of resurrecting species that no longer exist. “What is the validity of promoting the revival of mammoths, for instance, when Asian and African elephants will be lost by 2020?” (Marino). De-extinction aims to resurrect a single charismatic species, yet millions of species are threatened to become extinct. According to Stewart Pimm, a world leader in the studies of biodiversity and conservation biology, de-extinction is worse than a waste (Pimm). He says that by setting up the expectation that science and biotechnology can fix any damage that we are doing to the planet’s inhabitants, we will begin to worry less about the true destruction that we are causing. We cannot make a mess of the only inhabitable planet that we have and expect for it to always be able

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