If you do, you may be in luck. Scientists are currently working on "bringing back" extinct species, starting with the passenger pigeon. Ben Novak, in particular, is dedicated to advancing the research, and works full-time at Revive & Restore, a company that is helping advance "de-extinction". As a child, he was fascinated by passenger pigeons, who as recently as 1860, were spotted in flocks said to be billions of birds strong. Being so numerous, however, they were excessively hunted and went extinct back in 1914.
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| http://www.georgiabigfootsociety.com/Passenger_Pigeon_horz.jpg |
Novak and other scientists are working towards bringing back animals such as the passenger pigeon by gathering DNA of the species from preserved specimens. They then look for the non-extinct species that is the closest genetically, and use their DNA to help put together the DNA of the extinct animal. The formulated DNA is then injected into an egg from the non-extinct species, causing the child to have either sperm carrying the extinct species' DNA (if it is male), or eggs carrying the extinct species' DNA (if it is female). By breeding these animals that fall in between the two species together, some of the offspring will end up being from the recently existing species.
There are many proposed reasons as to why it is a good idea to ring back dead species, but my personal favorite involves fixing what we have broken. One hundred years ago the passenger pigeon went extinct, because humans made some very bad choices. If we are offered the ability to reintroduce passenger pigeons, (along with other species), it would help to right the ecological wrongs that we as a species have caused.
As for criticism from the public, the article states, "If the new, synthetically created bird enriches the ecology of the forests it populates, few people, including conservationists, will object." This means that as long as the new bird (or animal) is able to fill the role of an animal from the extinct species it was modeled after, there won't be much public objection.
This relates to our biology class because we are just like the Once-ler from The Lorax (which we watched earlier on in the year). He realized too late, just as the last tree was killed, that what he was doing needed to be stopped. We too have realized the consequence too late: we killed off all of the passenger pigeons in the world. Fortunately, we can also be like the Once-ler in another way. He kept a truffula seed, and gave it to the narrator so that he could plant it. We too can attempt to stop passenger pigeons from disappearing completely, by using DNA to make new passenger pigeons. With any luck, we will have learned from our mistakes, and the passenger pigeons of today will fare much better that the ones of the past.
I, personally, think that it is a great idea to fix the harm that we (humans) have caused to the environment. The damage has already been done, there is no bringing back any of the pigeons that were hunted, but maybe one day in the future, people will once again be able to walk outside and listen to the cooing of the passenger pigeon.
Great job, Jared! I really liked your post because I have always been interested in the idea of brining back extinct species. Of course when I read about scientists bringing back extinct species I think Jurassic park. I also read an article once about how they were trying to bring back mammoths but they couldn't find animal that was big enough to be the mother. Not even elephants were big enough! I really like though how you included how they brought back the pigeon like when you mentioned that they injected DNA into an egg of a similar species. You did a great job and keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteGood Job Jared. This subject is truly fascinating and it is amazing that scientists are even close to being able to accomplish the resection of an extinct species such as the passenger pigeon. I liked how you gave us the details to how scientists could make this happen as well as giving us the back story to how the pigeons went extinct. You also did a great job connecting the subject back to class and back to the Lorax. Overall you did a great job making this post interesting and factual.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Jared! This was a fascinating topic to choose! I was very interested in reading this considering I never knew this type of study was so close to reaching achievement. You did a great job taking the present information found in the article and making a summary of it. Way to think outside of the box and connect a story like this to the Lorax! Overall, I really liked the blog and who knows, maybe sometime in the future we will be seeing live passenger pigeons! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteJared, I liked how your title flowed right into the blog. This is truly remarkable how they are trying to bring back an extinct species. Your article has great class connections and I liked how I didn't have to read the article to get a good understanding of the article. Personally, I also think it is a good think that we are trying to fix our mistakes. Loved your last sentence! Excellent job.
ReplyDeleteGreat Job! You chose a great topic to write about. I found your article interesting to read because I can't believe that scientists might know how to bring back extinct animals. You did a great job explaining the information that was in your article. Also, I agree with your connection from The Lorax that we are just like the Once-ler. Good job!
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