Should We Bring Back Woolly Mammoths?
The Bioscience company Colossal have published that they are working on a de-extinction programme, to bring back the long-lost woolly mammoth. This prehistoric mammal could potentially walk the surface of our earth again. Despite this amazing potential accomplishment, the project is riddled with ethical, environmental and economic challenges.
What will the project involve?
Colossal’s claim to revive the woolly mammoth may not be the mechanism that you might at-first expect. Whilst some readers may have images of a Frankenstein-like scenario of resurrecting a deceased woolly mammoth, preserved in ice, the project utilises some remarkably interesting, and controversial, scientific methods. Colossal are in fact working on creating a new, cold-resistant elephant with “all of the core biological traits of the woolly mammoth”, as quoted by Colossal themselves. The company aims to edit the genome of elephants, manipulating it into the genome of a woolly-mammoth. Preserved DNA from remains of woolly mammoths have traceable DNA genome sequences, which has enabled the scientists at Colossal to do this. They aim to create a new species that will look like, sound similar to and most-importantly, inhabit the same ecosystem as a woolly mammoth.
Ethical Objections
Whilst on the surface, this project may seem exciting to a large sector of the population, queries have been raised as to the ethics behind the project. Re-creating a woolly mammoth would mean using a surrogate elephant mother to grow the baby. This would be an extremely risky procedure for both the mother elephant and the baby. Many people would argue that this is immoral, as elephants are already an endangered species, which should be the focus of conservation, not exploitation for scientific research. They key crisis lies behind the fact that people are more mentally stimulated by the prospects of re-introducing extinct species, rather than focusing on combating the real threat; the extinction of current endangered species. Despite this ethical issue, Colossal have committed to donating significant funds to elephant conservation charities, aiming to focus their efforts on both protecting current species, whilst safely re-introducing an extinct species back into the environment. One of Colossal’s five Core Goals is “to develop new tools & techniques that will contribute to the global effort to save modern elephants from extinction”. Clearly, the company has a wide awareness of the importance to conserve current species and could bring about significant benefit to the environment.
Another potent ethical issue is that the woolly mammoths that could be created may have sever birth defects, such as deformities. This could cause immense suffering to the newborns, which many people would argue is highly unethical. The scientists at Colossal certainly know about many parts of the genome of woolly mammoths, which they are trying to replicate, however there is the potential that small parts of the genome will be unaccounted for. Thus, a new species will be generated, which by potentially no means, will be the same, genetically, as a woolly mammoth. Therefore, there’s a high risk of severe birth complications, that needs to be accounted for before the procedure is carried through.
Economical Objections
Bringing back a woolly mammoth is certainly not an inexpensive process. Colossal have received major investment to help accomplish their aims of creating a woolly mammoth. Some may raise questions as to where all these investments are coming from. Conservationists would argue that the money going towards this project should be spent elsewhere, such as on the major issue of conserving the multitude of endangered species within our current environment. Others may argue that we should be utilising this money to work on advancing treatment for sick patients, for example working on finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
Environmental Objections
Looking from an environmental perspective, reintroducing woolly mammoths could result in serious threats to ecosystems. By reintroducing woolly mammoths, new competition would enter an ecosystem. The woolly mammoth could become a predator to species which are currently stable, resulting in a sharp decrease in their population, or even extinction over an extended period. Furthermore, woolly mammoths may outcompete other species for resources such as food and shelter. This could lead to some serious threats to current, stable ecosystems, which many people would object to.
Conclusion
To conclude, the re-generation of the woolly mammoth is an exciting prospect, sure to continue raising interest in the future. Whilst this project aims to defeat the impossible and focus efforts on conservation, there is a wide variety of issues that need to be considered when looking at the bigger picture. With the complex of ethical, environmental, and economical issues surrounding the re-creation of the mammoth, there is lots of things to consider. There are certainly lots of points for debate, on whether bringing back this incredible creature would benefit or harm our modern world.
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