Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

The Return of the Tasmanian Tiger ... sort of ...

According to this article, scientists have discovered a way to insert DNA from the now-extinct Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, into a mouse embryo. While it is not yet possible to restore extinct species to life, this is an important step in that direction. This is a key reason why I support genetic engineering: when used responsibly, it can help us to repair some of the damage that humanity has done to Earth's biosphere. Let's not throw out the patch kit right when we need it most, okay?
Tags: news, science
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  • 11 comments
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morningdove3202

morningdove3202

May 21 2008, 00:32:35 UTC 13 years ago

I agree... it's a scary thought that we could "fix" anything in the magnitude of extinction. Extinction is after all a natural event, and as Pagan, I still see humans as included in nature. Reintroducing an extinct species could be just as detrimental to the ecosystem as releasing an invasive foreign species into a new location.
glitteringlynx

glitteringlynx

May 21 2008, 00:41:01 UTC 13 years ago

Not all extinctions are natural. Most animals do not selectively kill one or a few species without the intent to eat the entire thing. For example, killing an elephant just for the ivory in its trunks, killing alligators and snakes only for the skin, killing rabbits only for their feet, and killing many foxes, moose, deer and others for sport.

Humans have forced extinctions which would not have happened otherwise. On the other hand, we "saved" a species that *was* going extinct through natural selection (the whooping crane).

Homo sapiens consistently takes more than it requires. This is the root cause of most (if not all) the major issues with which we find ourselves contending on a global scale.
ysabetwordsmith

Question

ysabetwordsmith

May 21 2008, 00:56:21 UTC 13 years ago

Have you got any references for the Whooping Crane extinction being natural? All I've heard on that front have been human factors, first DDT (the usual eggshell problem) and later -- more seriously -- habitat destruction. If there are natural factors that got crowded out, I'd be interested in expanding my data acquisition in that direction.
glitteringlynx

Re: Question

glitteringlynx

May 21 2008, 01:07:25 UTC 13 years ago

Not directly since it was something I was taught in 2nd year bio at university. :/

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