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Resurrecting the Mighty Mammoth, Cheaply
somanyrobots writes with an interesting followup in the New York Times to the earlier-reported substantial reconstruction of the woolly mammoth genome: "Scientists are talking for the first time about the old idea of resurrecting extinct species as if this staple of science fiction is a realistic possibility, saying that a living mammoth could perhaps be regenerated for as little as $10 million. The same technology could be applied to any other extinct species from which one can obtain hair, horn, hooves, fur or feathers, and which went extinct within the last 60,000 years, the effective age limit for DNA." (The Washington Post article linked from the earlier post was much more skeptical, calling such an attempt "still firmly the domain of science fiction." The New York Times article, while describing the process in similar terms, also calls attention to recent advances in sequencing DNA, as well as recoding DNA for cloning.)
Anyone got some amber they want to sell?
-or-
Yo mamma so fat, it'd cost 10 billion to clone her!
We may well need an army of Mammoths to fight the mutant tool-equipped space spiders from that other earlier story. $10 million is a small price to pay to save humanity from the giant space webs.
This is Slashdot; creatures with no chance of reproducing are par for the course here, I don't see why another one is so morally outrageous, especially one that's slimmer and less hairy than the average Linux hacker.
Blank until
But seriously, the prospect of bringing a flawed misfit sentient being into this world and explaining to them "oh, by the way, your species is extinct!" doesn't seem very humane or ethical to me.
You know... I didn't think I'd be the one to tell you this... but Locke2005, have you ever wondered why you were so much hairier than your "biological" father? Ever wonder why kids giggled when your name "Ug" was read in classrooms, and why you prefer deerskin over cashmir?
I'm sure you've come to the correct conclusion by now... If you don't believe me, the proof is right before your eyes. You're posting excitedly in a news post about mammoth burgers.
I'll let you get back to your flint and tinder... and... we're sorry about your entire species.
I am the richest astronaut ever to win the superbowl.
Because most amputees would probably not want their missing limbs replaced with mammoth legs?
Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
why can't we just combine Hendrix's DNA with the Mammoth's?
I feel sad at a zoo cause you can't get at the tasty ones.
Why bother
bring Michael Crichton back! ... man that post anonymously button looks pretty good right now... oh well
I say don't drink and drive, you might spill your drink. Before you get behind the wheel just stop and think.
Testicles?
Or the body of the guy who tried to remove them from the mammoth?
"I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
"Making" mammoths would give us the ability to.. umm... flavor them.
Buttery mammoth, Bananamammoth, Cinnamammoth, Fruity mammoth, Orange mammoth, Pear mammoth, Pineapple mammoth, Cotton candy mammoth, Wintergreen mammoth, Bitter almond mammoth, Vanilla mammoth with Swiss Mocha Chips & Blueberry Swirl, Chocolate mammoth with Chocolate Covered Coconut Bits & Marshmallow Swirl...
And that would be just the beginning.
I can't wait for the streets to be illuminated by phosphorescent, minty flavored, mini-mammoths.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens