Tuesday, August 15, 2006

The Mammoths are Coming


I found this article and had to make a comment or two.

Mammoths may roam again after 27,000 years

BODIES of extinct Ice Age mammals, such as woolly mammoths, that have been frozen in permafrost for thousands of years may contain viable sperm that could be used to bring them back from the dead, scientists said yesterday.
Research has indicated that mammalian sperm can survive being frozen for much longer than was previously thought, suggesting that it could potentially be recovered from species that have died out.

Several well-preserved mammoth carcasses have been found in the permafrost of Siberia, and scientists estimate that there could be millions more.

If we reintroduce a species that has been absent from our planet for thousands of years, what complications or problems will we have to over come? I think it is safe to say that all natural predators are extinct. So do we take steps to replace them as well? Should we repopulate the planet with formerly extinct species? I know it sounds pretty far fetched, but we are cloning things. Why not use the natural course of birth given the right DNA information?

I for one would rather see the past stay the past. A furry elephant doesn’t sound too threatening, but what would be next? What would stop someone from a T-Rex? Perhaps a crocodile or a Kimono Dragon would be the surrogate mother. Is Jurassic Park just around the next corner?

Mammoth - it’s what’s for dinner!

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