Should We Bring Back Extinct Species? - 12/14/17

Should We Bring Back Extinct Species?

by: Victor N. 8B
Heard of de-extinction? De-extinction is the process of resurrecting dead species. Now, why are we even thinking of bringing back extinct species? Isn't it humanity the reason why some species are extinct? Isn't over-population the reason for global warming? So if you bring extinct species back, aren't you populating the Earth even more? We shouldn't bring back extinct species, because the risk of hurting the environment is much higher than improving it.

 Scientists are working together to bring back extinct species through DNA, cloning, breeding, and genome editing. In the Reawakening Extinct Species article (source 4), scientists used the cloning method to bring create a bucardo kid. They transferred the nucleus of cells into different cells and used electricity to grow embryos. Unfortunately, the bucardo kid died few minutes after its birth. Using this method, the chances of the bucardo kids surviving are slim. They also used the cloning method to bring back frogs that became extinct because of chytrid fungus, the disease in people's shoes. But is there a way to get rid of the fungus? If not, the frogs will not be successful at surviving if it comes back. Bringing back extinct species through DNA, cloning, breeding, genome editing haves chances of working. But every time scientists have attempted to bring extinct species back using these methods, the animals died minutes later.

 Bringing back extinct species is not free, and will take lots of time and money. Scientists are using lots of money to use de-extinction to bring back dead species, like the woolly mammoth. According to the We Might Soon Resurrect Extinct Species article, Dr. Bennett said it would take millions of dollars to resurrect one species and possibly let others go. "It would be one step forward, and three to eight steps back." Even other scientists had agreed with Dr. Bennett and said, "De-extinction may certainly have long-term gains." Dr. Bennett fears that the world cannot afford this much of a luxury, and this could be true. With the amount of money we are spending on extinct species, the world could be losing billions. From "20% of Earth's extinction could raise to 50% by the end of the century." Therefore, scientists and researchers are spending lots money to save one species that could possibly let others go.

 What's the point of bringing back extinct animals? Will they adapt to the new environment or destroy it? Due to global warming, species are extinct. Bring them back, could slow down global warming. In the We Might Soon Resurrect Extinct Species article (source 3) Steph Yin said, woolly mammoths can theoretically “punch down the snow in the winter time allowing cold air to come in and in the summertime, they would knock down trees which are very absorbent and release the grasses.” This states that the woolly mammoths can slow down the process of global warming. But who's to say other species will do the opposite. The environment we live in today is much different. Extinct species will not be used to the environment and might die. Even though extinct species can stop global warming and help the environment, most of them will die anyways.

 In conclusion, we shouldn't bring back extinct species. Bringing back extinct species has risks of hurting the environment much higher than improving it. I know I wouldn't bring back extinct species, if I was a scientist. But would you? Would you spend millions of dollars to bring back dead species that has risks of hurting the Earth? That would be a waste, not only to you but to the Earth's environment.

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