<
https://theconversation.com/can-we-resurrect-the-thylacine-maybe-but-it-wont-help-the-global-extinction-crisis-178425>
"Last week, researchers at the University of Melbourne announced that
thylacines or Tasmanian tigers, the Australian marsupial predators extinct
since the 1930s, could one day be ushered back to life.
The main reason for the optimism was the receipt of a A$5 million philanthropic
donation to the research team behind the endeavour.
Advances in mapping the genome of the thylacine and its living relative the
numbat have made the prospect of re-animating the species seem real. As an
ecologist, I would personally relish the opportunity to see a living specimen.
The announcement led to some overhyped headlines about the imminent
resurrection of the species. But the idea of “de-extinction” faces a variety of
technical, ethical and ecological challenges. Critics (like myself) argue it
diverts attention and resources from the urgent and achievable task of
preventing still-living species from becoming extinct."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
