9 extinct animals that could be resurrected
Many incredible species of animals disappeared decades or hundreds of years ago due to natural conditions or the influence of human activities on a particular region. With the advancement of technology and scientific knowledge - especially genetics - we are getting closer to bringing these animals back to life, but it will be difficult to choose which ones we would like to see in zoo cages or in the wild. .
Obviously, this task is not easy and, besides some scientific barriers, there is also a lot of ethical discussion on the subject. But, as it does not hurt to speculate a little and dream of a future full of saber-toothed tigers, check out our list of animals that could be resurrected.
1. Woolly Mammoth
Woolly mammoths inhabited the north of the earth and were one of the last species of mammoth to be extinct. Several fossils and samples of this animal have been collected over the years and, because they live in very cold places, there are frozen remains with very well preserved soft tissue.
In 2011, one of the specimens found had the bone marrow practically intact, which opens even greater possibilities to bring this animal to life. Russian scientist Semyon Grigoriev, director of the Sakha Republic mammoth museum, along with colleagues from Japan, stated that with this material in hand, cloning could be done over a period of up to five years.
2. Tasmanian Tigers
The Tasmanian tiger is believed to have become extinct during the twentieth century, but is still regarded today as the largest carnivorous marsupial of modern times. Although also suffering from human presence, this species has a very low genetic diversity, which makes it little adaptable to changes.
In 2008, researchers extracted DNA from a 100-year-old specimen and resurrected its genetic material, including it in a mouse embryo. This was the first time DNA from an extinct animal was used in the embryo of a living creature for study. Perhaps in the future, the Tasmanian tigers will not return to Australia and New Guinea?
3. Pyrenees Ibex
This is a very current case of an extinct animal, and the last specimen died in the 1990s. Therefore, the Pyrenees ibex is one of the most promising species to be brought back to life.
But there is a problem: the last Pyrenees ibex was actually a female. And so even if the species comes back to life, there will be no males to breed with. However, a little genetic engineering could reverse this situation.
4. Saber-toothed Tiger
This is a no-show, and we all agree: the world would be so much nicer with saber-toothed tigers in zoos or out there. And this is not so impossible to happen, since, like the mammoth, this animal lived in icy places and there are many well-preserved bodies of this "kitten" from which to extract DNA.
5. Dodo Birds
The human being knows very little about the dodo bird, but it is believed that this species was too docile to be portrayed in cartoons as extremely silly animals. In addition, the dodo had another flaw: delicious meat. These were the main causes of its extinction, around 1600.
In 2007, a well-preserved dodo skeleton was found in Mauritius, enabling the bird's DNA to be extracted and then manipulated in the laboratory.
6. Giant Moose
How about a moose with antlers measuring about 3.5 meters from end to end? This incredible animal, known as the giant elk, became extinct at the end of the last ice age, and the causes of this disappearance were probably climate change in the regions where he lived.
As with other animals on this list, the weather conditions in which he lived favored the preservation of soft tissue, making this species a great candidate to have its DNA extracted for future manipulation.
7. Moa
This giant bird could not fly, and until extinct about 600 years ago were considered to be the largest birds in the world. Due to their recent disappearance, it is still possible to find remains with skin and feathers.
As if that weren't enough, researchers also found intact eggs of this species, whose shells provided the mill's DNA for cloning projects.
8. Giant sloth
Let's face it: evolution was cruel to laziness. If once they were giant and terrible mammals, today they are but creatures with a docile feature and extremely slow movements. But scientists may bring to life this extinct species that once inhabited South America.
Researchers have already extracted intact DNA from the fossil hairs of this animal that roamed the earth about 8, 000 years ago. The problem would be to find a womb capable of generating this "pet", since its modern relatives are much smaller.
9. Dinosaurs
There is no way to end this list without mentioning dinosaurs and the possibility of recreating something similar to John Hammond's venture into Jurassic Park. In the case of dinosaurs, access to genetic material is much more difficult, so science will have to find a way to recreate it.
In addition to the constant search for dinosaur intact DNA in fossil records, scientists are planning an even bolder plan: to “hack” a chicken to “devolve it, ” that is, to reverse the bird's genetic code to that of a dinosaur., as if going back in time from the evolutionary scale.
Does it work?
* Originally posted on 5/2/2013.
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