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Laura Whitehead
Professor Melissa Hardy
Biology 1010
31 March 2016
De-extinction
The possibility of de-extinction, previously thought of as science fiction, is becoming
more of a reality every day. Scientists, through advanced research and new technologies, have
almost cracked the code that would allow us to resurrect extinct species. One question
scientists have wondered is whether resurrecting a species is possible; could it be done?
However, the real question that many scientists are struggling with is whether it should be done?
Should we allow the de-extinction of a species?
In the initial attempts at de-extinction, scientists tried to clone animals by inserting DNA
taken from the animals cell into an egg that had been emptied of its own genetic material. In
order for the cell to start dividing an electric shock was administered to the egg. This developing
embryo would then be transferred into a surrogate mother. This process did not yield the results
scientists were hoping for. The pregnancies often failed and in the cases were they didnt fail the
newborn animals possessed many health problems.
As science has improved so have our cloning capabilities. Scientists have discovered a
way to return adult animal cells back into an embryo like state. These cells have the potential of
developing into any type of cell such as egg or sperm. The developed eggs can then be used to
form into mature embryos. Once formed these embryos can be placed inside a surrogate mother
in order for the clone to grow and be born.

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Many scientists believe that de-extinction is very beneficial. We now have the power to
bring back the animals we have caused to become extinct. We were the ones who wiped these
species out and now we are close to obtaining the ability to bring these species back. Some
scientists believe it is our obligation to attempt to revive the species we killed off. The deextinction of a species has the potential to aid in medical advances. Many pharmaceutical drugs
have been derived from compounds found in extinct plants. This could also be the case for
extinct animals. Also, the majority of extinct animals played a dynamic role in their ecosystems
before they died off. If we can return these animals, their ecosystems could benefit tremendously.
De-extinction research and technologies are very costly. Some scientists believe that
these costs could be put toward other more important advances. These cost can be seen as
wasteful without an environment for these revived species to live in. Many species that have
been restored and released back into the wild have been poached and forced back into extinction.
Thus, accomplishing practically nothing. De-extinction is also seen as a distraction from a more
important task, preventing mass extinction. If we find a way to stop a species from becoming
extinct then there would be no reason for de-extinction. We also need to ask ourselves, can deextinction bring back an extinct species or can it only produce a genetically engineered version
of the species?
John Wiens, an evolutionary biologist at Stony Brook University, stated [a]s far as I can
see, there is little urgency for bringing back extinct ones. Why invest millions of dollars in
bringing a handful of species back from the dead, when there are millions still waiting to be
discovered, described, and protected? I agree with Wiens. Even though de-extinction is

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extremely fascinating I feel that the money and time spent on this research would be better spent
somewhere else.

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Works Cited
Zimmer, Carl. "The New Age of Exploration." Bringing Extinct Species Back to Life. National
Geographic, Apr. 2013. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.