Scientists say they have the technology and DNA to bring extinct species back to life. (Image credit: Kurt Miller/Stocktrek Images via Getty Images)
Researchers are on the cusp of bringing extinct species back to life. Iconic creatures like the woolly mammoth, the dodo, and the thylacine (also known as the Tasmanian tiger) may soon roam the Earth again, according to companies and scientists working on de-extinction projects.
The process of bringing back extinct species begins with a sample of the species' DNA. In some cases, this may be a complete genome; in other situations, they may insert genes from the extinct species into the genome of a living organism. Then, in a process called nuclear transfer, the researchers insert this sequence into an egg cell from a closely related living species that has had the original DNA removed. The resulting animal is genetically similar to the extinct one.
Scientists have already managed to resurrect at least two lines. In 2003, researchers in Spain performed a nuclear transfer on a subspecies of Pyrenean ibex known as the bucardo (Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica), which became extinct in 2000. A baby bucardo was successfully born, but it died within minutes due to a lung defect.
In 2013, an international team of scientists created southern gastric frog embryos using nuclear transfer. Southern gastric frogs (Rheobatrachus silus) were aquatic frogs native to Australia that gave birth through their mouths. They became extinct in the 1980s due to a fungal disease outbreak. Despite a successful nuclear transfer that resulted in cell division and replication, none of the embryos developed into tadpoles, ending the experiment.
Since then, the science of de-extinction has advanced significantly, and it may be less than a decade before we see some extinct species reappear.
For better or for worse, here are six extinct animals that scientists are considering for possible resurrection.
Woolly Mammoth
Researchers suggest that the extinction of woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) was the result of a combination of factors, including climate change, human activity and inbreeding depression.
Woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) existed between 300,000 and 10,000 years ago, during the last ice age (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago) – although a small, isolated population survived on Wrangel Island until about 400
Sourse: www.livescience.com
