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If Extinct Species Can Be Brought Back... Should We?

Posted by samzenpus on from the gone-for-a-reason dept.

retroworks writes "Rebecca J. Rosen interviews experts in this edition of The Atlantic, to ask about the ethics and wisdom of using cloning, backbreeding, or genome editing. Over 90% of species ever to exist on earth are no more. The article ponders the moral and environmental challenges of humans reintroducing species which humans made extinct."

8 of 299 comments (clear)

  1. Moral? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I want my Dodo-burger and my Moa-burger too.

    They can wait with the elephant bird and the terror bird until I get peckish again.

    Gastornis parisiensis they can keep, I don't want them to tread on my feet.

    But more seriously, instead of editing the genes so that Californian Grizzly doesn't eat people, they could do some editing so that they can be employed to pick oranges, that would be the day.

    1. Re:Moral? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      We have a moral, ethical and even culinary duty to find out what dinosaurs tasted like. For science.

    2. Re:Moral? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Like chicken, duh!

    3. Re:Moral? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      ...

      But more seriously, instead of editing the genes so that Californian Grizzly doesn't eat people, they could do some editing so that they can be employed to pick oranges, that would be the day.

      Whoa, slow down. if we get the bears to pick oranges, what are the illegals going to do?

      Well, we'll genetically engineer them to eat people, filling the niche left by the orange picking grizzlies and thus restoring the balance of nature.

    4. Re:Moral? by davetv · · Score: 5, Funny

      To cook dodo successfully, you need the dodo recipe.

      (1) Put dodo bits and a rock in a pot of boiling water.
      (2) When rock is tender (easily push a fork through it) - dodo is done
      (3) Season as desired.

  2. If we're talking about my Mother-in-law... by drkim · · Score: 4, Funny

    If we're talking about my Mother-in-law, I think we all agree the answer is 'no.'

  3. Re:If we exterminated them... by GrpA · · Score: 5, Funny

    And then make it extinct again when we decide it was a bad idea...

    --
    Enjoy science fiction? "Turing Evolved" - AI, Mecha, Androids and rail-gun battles. What more could you want?
  4. It sends a strong message by Lord_of_the_nerf · · Score: 4, Funny

    We made a species extinct, then brought it back, then made it extinct again!

    No flightless bird f*cks with humanity.