“When a species goes extinct, that’s the end. Those genes are gone. That job in the ecosystem is gone. That niche disappears so there is nothing left to serve that purpose.” 10:15, Reawakening Extinct Species. For hundreds of thousands of years, this was the reality we lived in. However, due to our recent explosion of knowledge, circumstances have changed. Scientists are currently exploring the possibilities of resurrecting extinct species with something called de-extinction. Even more, with the variety of de-extinction methods such as cloning, selective breeding, and genome editing, bringing back our long lost friends seems more a part of reality than fiction. But that poses the question, is it worth it to go through the trouble of bring back extinct species? The answer is yes, we should bring back extinct species. Why? Because the practice of de-extinction can actually help with conservation, has environmental benefits, and will expand of our scientific knowledge and understanding. The benefits of de-extinction vastly outweigh the consequences.
Some people may argue that de-extinction is time and money wasted; time and money that should be going to the conservation of endangered species. However, most don't realize that the technology used to bring back extinct species can also be used to repopulate and help endangered species. By using de-extinction technology to repopulate endangered species, we can diversify gene pools with little variation. According to the SENCER article, Should We Bring Back Extinct Species?, diversifying the gene pools will leave populations "less susceptible to viruses, bacterial infections and disease"(para. 2). This is due to natural selection. When an organism with genetic variations that will increase it's chance of survival arises, natural selection will ensure that that trait is passed down as the species evolves. As the SENCER stated, these variations can be immensely beneficial to endangered species. In addition to this, de-extinction has even more conversational benefits. Ben Novak, a lead researcher from Revive & Restore, a non-profit working to save endangered and extinct species with engineering and science has some thoughts on this topic. He stated in Stephen Ying's article, We Might Soon Resurrect Extinct Species. Is It Worth the Cost?, “living species are endangered partly because of 'the lack of an ecological partner or some link in the food web.'"(para. 9). This means that de-extinction can be used as a means of conservation just as easily as it is used for resurrection.
De extinction also has environmental benefits. One scientists named Sergey Zimov is working to bring back the woolly mammoth by splicing the DNA of similar species with something called crisper to create a hybrid species similar to the woolly mammoths. By repopulating the tundra with the woolly mammoth, we can "encourage the revival of ancient grasslands, which could slow the rate of melting permafrost and, therefore, reduce carbon emissions.”(para. 3), as stated in the Should We Bring Back Extinct Species? article. Sergey Zimov believes we can reduce the temperature by at least 20 degrees. In other words, he is saying that bringing back the woolly mammoth will reduce the rate of global warming through the reduction of carbon emissions. But the woolly mammoth isn't the only extinct animal that carries environmental benefits. In the New York times article, We Might Soon Resurrect Extinct Species. Is It Worth the Cost?, Ying also mentions how passenger pigeons will counteract the negative affects of deforestation. When the Eastern deciduous forests were filled with thousands of passenger pigeons, the large flocks would land on the tree and break the branches "excreting layers of rich fertilizer that allowed new trees to grow" (para. 19). This job belonged exclusively to the passenger pigeons. Without them, the once rich forest soil has become poor. These are only two of the many ways that extinct species can better our environment.
Because of humans, so many amazing and unique species died out to extinction. De-extinction can undo the damage we caused in the past in a positive way and bring back more diversity of life. In addition to this, if we bring back species with amazing abilities that went extinct, scientists can further our knowledge of the world and make breakthroughs that will benefit humanity. For example, Michael Archer, an australian researcher is working to bring back the gastric brooding frog. The sighting of this unique species was the first time anyone had ever seen an organism that could change one organ into another. The medical world was excited about the frogs discovery, but before they could learn anything new the species soon went extinct. In the article, Reawakening Extinct Species, Gabriela Quiros stated that scientists" wondered, could they use this in human health, not to have babies in our stomachs but to manage gastric secretions in the gut?”(para. 9). Imagine how much we could learn from extinct species. By being able to examine living organisms from the past, we can also learn about their ecosystems and the reason behind their extinction "filling in some gaps in evolutionary theory"(para. 2, SENCER article). With de-extinction we have a chance to learn about things we couldn't learn before.
As I have shown, we should bring back extinct species. De-extinction can help us conserve our endangered species while bringing back extinct ones, benefit and improve our environment, and teach us things about the world they we never could have learned before. Our world has so much to gain from bringing back extinct species. And though we may not have our own Jurassic park anytime soon, thanks to the science of de-extinction you can bet on seeing some old friends in the near future.
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