Cloning Extinct Animals - Can Extinct Species be Brought Back to Life Using Cloning
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Cloning Extinct Animals
It may now be possible to bring back extinct species by cloning dead specimens, and growing them in the wombs of similar or related animals.
Not long ago, the idea of cloning extinct animals sounded like science fiction. Films like Jurassic Park, made it seem plausible, but science was far behind the special effects, and the only rebuilt Dinosaur species existed on the movie screen. But now advances in cloning technology promise to turn science fiction into reality and make it possible to clone extinct animals such as mammoths or even, one day, dinosaurs.
How Cloning Works
To understand how cloning might be used to restore dead animals and even bring back extinct species it is important to understand how cloning works, and what it can and cannot do.
Cloning is the process of creating an identical copy of an oragnism or part of an organism. There are many different types of cloning and cloning techniques. Of interest here is the method called reproductive cloning which uses "somatic cell nuclear transfer" (SCNT) to create animals that are genetically identical. In this process, genetic material (namely the nucleus of a cell) from the animal that is being copied is transferred into an egg of a female mammal.
The egg is not fertilized in the normal way, in that no spermatazoa enter the egg. However, the egg begins to divide as if it had been fertilized, and reproduces the DNA of the copied animal. The egg is then implanted into the womb of a surrogate mother and grows into a fetus and eventually an identical baby copy of the original animal.
This method of cloning has some similarities to in vitro fertilization used to make "test tube" babies in that the fertilization of the egg takes place in a lab. The egg is implanted with the genetic material using state of the art tools. However, it is much more complex and difficult that the normal in vitro fertilization because instead of using sperm to fertilize an egg, the genetic material of the donor animal must be extracted intact from its cells and then implanted into the egg.
Cloning Animals is Difficult
Cloning an animal is very difficult. The first cloned mammal (there may have been an earlier successful cloning of a fish and a tadpole in China) was Dolly the Sheep. This success came after many failures. Most attempts to fertilize eggs through the cloning process failed to produce a pregnancy, and of the eggs that were fertilized most ended in miscarriages. The scientific team that produced the Dolly, first cloned sheep, reported that it took 277 eggs to produce 29 sheep embryos; of these only three survived until birth, and only one of these three - Dolly - lived for any length of time after birth.
Despite these difficulties, the cloning of Dolly the Sheep proved that genetic material from an adult cell could be used to grow an identical copy, or clone, of the entire organism.
Attempts to Clone Extinct Animals
Every time that a species dies, an important piece of our environment and our world dies with it. But science offers the hope of bringing some of these species back from extinction by using genes taken from the tissues of dead animals to grow new animals.
Several attempts have been made to regrow dead and extinct animals, so far with little success. The holy grail of extinct species cloning would be to bring back to life a dinosaur or a prehistoric animal such as a mamoth. So far, extracting DNA from fossilized dinosaur bones has proved difficult. But obtaining viable DNA from mammoth caracasses looks more promising since many mammoths have been found frozen virtually intact in the Siberian permafrost.
However, attempts to extract intact DNA from the frozen bodies of Wooly Mamoths found in the Russian trundra have so far proved unsuccessful. There is currently a joint Russian - Japanese project working on the project. If DNA is extracted it would be inserted into the egg of a large mammal such as a cow or an elephant in the hopes that the surrogate mother could carry the baby mammoth to term.
There have also been attempts to clone a Tasmanian Tiger, which has been extinct for 65 years, but it was found that the DNA from the stuffed museum specimens that still exist had degraded too badly to create a viable fetus.
Now, scientists are taking steps to collect and preserve tissue from endangered animals in order to attempt clone them in the future, once the technology improves. When the last Pyrenan Ibex died, tissue samples were frozen immediately in the hopes of recreating the species at a later date.
A number of so-called frozen zoos now store genetic material from endangered species. The zoos are cryogenic facilities in which tissue, eggs, and sperm from threatened species are stored for later cloning or use in reproduction programs using artificial insemination. Two of the main facilities are the Frozen Zoo at the San Diego Zoo and the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species. Both of these gene banks may one day furnish the DNA needed to bring species back from oblivion.
- How to Clone an Extinct Animal
This site describes the basic steps to clone extinct animals, as well as efforts to recreate the Tasmanian Tiger. - Should Cloning be Used to Bring Back Extinct Species
Jurassic Park may be real one day. But what are the implications of bring species back from the dead? - Cloning Extinct Animals
Cloning techniques could be used to repopulate extinct species. - Cloning Dinosaurs
This site examines how dinosaurs might be cloned.
Can We Clone Extinct Animals Such as Dinosaurs or Mammoths
Bringing dinosaurs or prehistoric mammoths back to life would be amazing. But so far the only successful clones have been of living animals. The reason is that in order for a clone to be successful the "seed" DNA implanted into the host egg must be intact. If it is damaged, the DNA will lack important information needed to make the egg develop into a complete organism.
While DNA has been recovered from mammoth caracasses and attempts have been made to harvest dinosaur DNA, the samples that have been recovered so far have been too degraded to be useful. The fact that the dead animal is thousands of years old (or millions in the case of dinosaurs) means that the genetic material has been exposed to many decomposing factors such as weather, bacteria, and time. So far, our cloning technology has not advanced to the point where we can collect enough DNA to pull off the holy grail of cloning: bring a species into the world that no human being has seen within recorded history. Such an achievement would be a triumph for science and teach us a great deal about evolution and the development of species. Just think what we could learn if we had a living dinosaur to study!
The successes that have been achieved so far point to a bright future for cloning and hope for restoring lost species.
Cloning Dinosaurs and Extinct Animals.
What do you think? Should we tamper with Mother Nature? What are some of the risks and benefist of re-introducing species that have not been part of the environment for thousands or even millions of years?
Could cloning extinct species bring back unwanted diseases or parasites that might threaten the existence of modern species?
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Comments
I think it would be great to clone a mammoth or some extinct species.
i think it needs more info on "how to clone"
This would be great. I hope they can do this. Also, I would love to be a scientist.
This is great. It is not interfering with nature because most of these soecies were wied out by humans infact!
i think that its a great idea to clone some excint animals. life would be so much exciting!!
i personally thought this was an excellent source of info on cloning, it provided me with tons of useful info for my debate class
i personally thought this was an excellent source of info on cloning, it provided me with tons of useful info for my debate class
wth....we got enough animals going extint at the present time..and they are concernerd about species that died out millions of years ago....
Extinction is a part of evolution...natural order of life. This is just disaster in the making.
Stg - I agree that bringing back extinct animals may be result in a disaster. We have no idea how these organisms would affect other species. But at the same time we have to take into account that some of these species became extinct due to actions by humans such as the destruction of their environment or over-hunting. Perhaps bringing them back through human intervention would only undo the damage that we caused.
the idea sounds great,but the impact of suc action is an uncertainty,but since science is a very curious field we might as well bring extinct animals back to life. hopefully this could be done in my lifetime been a biologist myself. precautions should be made to avoid danger to humans and other species
I for one think that some thing as powerful as nature shouldn't be tampered with.
There's a reason those animals are extinct.
It will only lead to more trouble.
I think it's grrrreat!!! I think it's been said but yeah, we were the cause that they are extinct now so if we can, we must bring them back. Especially the mammoth and other recent extint species. Dino's are a bit scary. Maybe we should put them on Mars one day????
Perhaps bringing back recently extinct animals (the ones we have caused to go extinct in the first place) could be considered, but in all reality it would most likely throw off the whole ecosystem - and bringing back something like a mammoth would be insane. hmmm, dino's on mars tho... that might make a good book. =)
no because , it would disturb or nature and like , wats done is done . Also , if you accually DID bring one back , to life , think of the consiquince . We the PEOPLE , will like , be killled or what ever.. so on . :)
maybe the resurrected animals will not be able to live in this constant changing world due to the global heating =S....if they attend to leave them wild of course and not having them at controled areas
well thats my opinion but its cool to bring extinct ones =P
Some extinct species should remain as they are, as some of you have stated, they are that way for a reason. However the more recent extinct species such as the Wooly Mammoth and others like the Tasmanian Tiger, that have suffered under the impact of human evolution, should be brought back. It would also provide us with a once in a life time opportunity to study and learn about evolution and the reason behind it all.
Here is an exciting update: an extinct Ibex has been cloned! This is the first time that an extinct animal was brought back from oblivion using stored genetic material and cloning technology. Unfortunately the animal died shortly after birth. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/sc
Thanks for the comments everyone. The debate is very interesting. I have added a poll to let people have their say.
I read the comments of people, and what they think the right thing to do is in any situation. Most of the time the comments are from fear. Some plausable some not. The topic is cloning extinct species. Lets take fear away and contemplate our responsibilities even if it hurts us in some way. We should start seeing ourselves as guardians of nature instead of its rulers. Let me explain myself. I see comments on whether we should be bringing back extinct species. I say yes and no. If your talking about species that lived side by side with humanity at one time and we impacked on the species in anyway to tip there survival rate. Then yes we have that responsibility to bring them back. Example the woolly mammoth was alive until about 1650 BCE. Not a very long time ago. The reason of there extinction was 2 reasons 1) climate change 2) over hunting. If this is true then even though there numbers plummeted due to a changing enviroment, something even humanity suffered many times in our exsistence, would have still survived in small numbers all over our northern hemisphere to this day if not for the increased pressure that humans put upon it for there own survival in a changing enviroment. Then today mammoth and even woolly rhino's would still be walking the tundra. The tundra is almost unchanged, a huge vast area for these animals to thrive in. These areas are uninhabitable even for locals. They call them the dead lands. I live in the arctic of canada. Most places are lived in next to sea, lakes or tree line areas. If anyone does live on the tundra then they are reliant on supplies or are very isolated. What is the impact on the enviroment with these animals. None. They would only increase it. More food for smaller animals on there dead carcasses, larger carnivors too, like the grizzly and maybe even the polar bear. God knows the polar bear needs some help in there changing environment or there going to be extinct. Plus their feces will even be extra nutrients for the land and increasing bug populations that can feed birds and small rodents even more. Remember they were are big part of that enviroments success. Next question could they harm humans. Sure they can they are a 8 to 12 ton animal. If a man gets trampled or killed by such an animal. Then who's fault is that, the animal who protects itself or feels threaten, because some guy got a little to close. As far as im concerned he was asking for it. We must respect nature and fell a little fear from it in order to feel alive and humbled. I dont want to live in a world full of mice and cows because every time someone dies or is injured by a predator or stronger animal. Its got to be hunted down and killed because its a danger to people. Well my answer to that is get out of its enviroment and live in your protected bubble in the basement of your parents house. My point being these animals have the right to a second chance if we were the cause of its demise. Dodo bird, elaphant bird, tasmanian tiger are some examples that should with countless others. But where do we draw the line. Well any animal that can threaten the survival of the human species or any other living species today. Thats right any talk about cloning dinosaurs should loose there licence and be cast away from the scientific community. This should be based on one principal. It is not only a insult on humanity but also an insult on every mammal on this planet. It should be considered an act of bio terrorism. Not only do these creatures act as a threat to every species on this planet but also that every species on this planet would not excist if it wasnt for the fall of these creatures. As for the mammouth or woolly rhinos, life would be very diferent today for all northern people of the past. if not for there species in the northern hemisphere, that gave them life and nurishment to survive such a harsh climate. Then maybe alot of the people today would not excist. We owe them alot so lets give them life instead of death.
cloning extinct animals is an excellent idea because we were the ones who made that way in the first place so why not ? but cloning a mammoth or a dinosaur would be difficult and a waste of time because it is difficult to find related species to carry the cloned embryos and because they became extinct due to natural causes so we shouldnt feel implicated to bring them back.
im not sure if that makes sense , but yeahh ... thats my view . (:
I don't think that we should even be cloning any of these animals at all. Who needs them.
anonymous, what is your problem??? people who say that are probably the cruel, heartless jerks who killed them al in the first place.
anyways, i like the idea. it makes the human race less guilty because of pollution
I think if they clone animals that have been dead for thousands of years i think we should be trying to figure out ways to get rid of the over=populting squids all over the oceans that have been killing hundreds to possibly thousands of other marine life and some human beings!!!!!but only bring back the plant eating dinos b/c the meat-eating ones in jerassic park they got loose and killed alot of people!!!i think the world would be safer...............
whoa! a very good news!!! i really love DINOSAURS and lots of other prehistoric animals such as those mammoths and pterosaurs....
I'm 17 years old now, and i hope i would be able to meet a dinosaur or at least a mammoth someday..
I don't think we should clone or bring back extinct animals, they're extinct for a reason, right? PLus, we're just playing God here with these animals. Then we'll clone people, I would not want a clone of myself, God only knows what damage that could cause. Why can't we use science to cure cancer instead of playing God and dabbling with life.
I think that if some extinct plants could be reborn, it would be good because maybe some of them could be used for medicine to help people get well.
Cloning a Dinosaurs would be immposslbe because any dinosaur fossils that we have will have turned to rock .Cloning a mamoth is probaly also imposable because there,s no clompetely preserved mamoths .Just look at the Taismain tiger it,s only been exticnt for 60 years and we,ve only just got enogh DNA to make an embroyo with it .
I think bringing extinct animals back to life would be pretty impossible, but by the things we come come up with these days amaze me! Therefore, it be successful and something that would amaze me more than ever.
Somehow it's amazingly good to cloneand revive extinct species but only IMPORTANT species must be cloned and reborn. I mean cloning dinosaurs and other extinct species might be cool but what are the consequences? For me, there would probably be a great threat to human lives and modern/evolved species, a MAJOR "end of the world" stuff/theme applied to the everyday life. and the worst case-scenario of all, a MAJOR imbalance of nature! But for now, try recloning and reviving the IMPORTANT species
Somehow it's amazingly good to cloneand revive extinct species but only IMPORTANT species must be cloned and reborn. I mean cloning dinosaurs and other extinct species might be cool but what are the consequences? For me, there would probably be a great threat to human lives and modern/evolved species, a MAJOR "end of the world" stuff/theme applied to the everyday life. and the worst case-scenario of all, a MAJOR imbalance of nature! But for now, try recloning and reviving the IMPORTANT
why not bring dinos back? just not the meat eaters. we could learn from them and other speicis living
Great qoutes from jurassic park guys! Real original. People can object all they want, but if someone figures out how to clone a T rex, they will do it, and you and me both are going to pay to see it in a zoo.
it not just the fact that life would be more exciting with mamothes and dinos but we chould clone endangered animals until they are stabel enough to breed on there own and there would be anough to
Wow, I can't believe how boring some people can be, if we can resurrect a dinosaur or any other creature then we should because that would be amazing. If anyone says don't do it then I think we should replace them with dinosaurs. I don't think we're gonna have a problem feeding dinosaurs:)
Maybe we should leave the dead animals in their graves, because if we did bring them back we'd probably start eating them, they'd prefer to be dead. Rest in peace deceased Animals.
i hate all of you and hope they create a jurassic park n you all go there and recreate the movie
I think is a really cool idea to have and have the ablity to do but also it a horrible idea. If to bring back Mammoths who died out because of warm weather how will they survive now when the earth warmed up even more since they were around. Also who is to take care of this gaint animals? A mammoth is twice the size of our present day elephant. It's a useless thing to do just really taken into the minds of people as to see this animal recreated into are world. Best to let these animals dead for no good could come from bring them back unless DTA that would be useless after they once again die out
EVERYONE IS EXTREMELY STUPID! This is not a good idea! I love animals but, it would ultimately end in more extinct species. It will have a huge impact on species still living.`
i thought this was a great article, it helped me alot with my report. i still cant believe what i read. like my teacher says science is all around us
Mother nature made these animals go extinct for a reason.we should just leave it like that.Mammoths would probably eat our vegetables and if a T-rex is revived it will eat humans and other animals which will lead to an extinction to a species that is hunted a lot by the T-rex.
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Should Scientists Try to Clone Extinct Animals
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FinancePortal says:
14 months ago
This is a really nice writeup on the subject of DNA cloning. Interestingly enough, Silicon Graphics provided the computers for the special effects behind Jurassic Park, and are now providing the computers being using in DNA sequencing and genome analysis.
Maybe the Russians will be providing us with Woolly Mammoths in a decade or so?