The Mammoth Cometh: Revive & Restore Tackles De-Extinction 168
theodp writes "Slashdot's been following de-extinction efforts for a good 15 years. Now, in The Mammoth Cometh, this week's NY Times Magazine cover story, Nathaniel Rich writes that 'bringing extinct animals back to life is really happening — and it's going to be very, very cool. Unless it ends up being very, very bad.' Among the 'genetic rescues' being pursued by The Long Now Foundation's Revive & Restore project is The Great Passenger Pigeon Comeback. And returning a flock of passenger pigeons to the planet is just the tip of the iceberg. 'We're bringing back the mammoth to restore the steppe in the Arctic,' says Stewart Brand. 'One or two mammoths is not a success. 100,000 mammoths is a success.' De-extinction, while no doubt thrilling ('It would certainly be cool to see a living saber-toothed cat,' Stanford's Hank Greely and Jacob Sherkow argued in Science), is disturbing to many conservation biologists who question the logic of bringing back an animal whose native habitat has disappeared, worry about disease, and are concerned that money may be diverted from other conservation efforts."
just buy an costa rica island to put them on (Score:5, Funny)
just buy an costa rica island to put them on
Re:just buy an costa rica island to put them on (Score:5, Funny)
Great idea! In the meantime, I'll gather a billionaire, a paleontologist, a paleobotanist, a mathematician and chaos theorist and an annoying granddaughter and grandson.
Re:Large saber toothed cats... (Score:4, Funny)
It's currently illegal to shoot raptors (hawks, eagles, falcons etc.) in the US and Canada.
how it always starts.... (Score:5, Funny)
Cometh (Score:5, Funny)
I'll get the mop.
Yum! (Score:2, Funny)
Since the indians ate all the best tasting animals first, these are probably really good!
Re:They can but SHOULD THEY (Score:4, Funny)
"Broke into the wrong God damn rec room, didn't ya you bastard!"
Read the Bible (Score:3, Funny)
Mammoths never existed, GOD just put those bones and fossils there because he like to fuck with you.