# Science Fiction Debate: Reviving Extinct Species **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 9, 2019, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594 "2019-12-09T14:59:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/21 "2019-12-09T19:12:36Z")
Screw this “Zoos and nature preserves” BS. How about _ranches?_ We hunted the mammoth to extinction for a reason, and it’s got to be that they’re _ **tasty** _. Like, sooooo much better tasting than cows or deer or moose that primitive humans with sharp sticks preferentially hunted them over smaller, much easier prey. Hunted them so much that they went extinct. Tell me you don’t want to at least try a mammoth steak. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/22 "2019-12-09T19:18:54Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Do the species that already exist no longer inspire us to a sufficient degree? I think I am with **iiandyiiii** on this. Sufficient for what? Our cultural and scientific needs? I don’t think any amount of inspiration has been or ever will be “sufficient” for those. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/23 "2019-12-09T19:20:37Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Let’s do this for the woolly mammoth, because “fun”: > > … Sure but for zoos. Same with wooly Rhino. Many species humans have had a hand in making extinct in the last few hundred years. IF the biome can handle them and the niche is there. For example yes the thylacine. But the vast hardwood chestnut forests that supported millions of passenger pigeons are gone, and apparently they wont breed in captivity, so no. Stellers Sea cow would be great but do we have any DNA? We could likely clear a island of rats and pigs and bring back the Dodo. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/24 "2019-12-09T19:22:05Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Neanderthals should be at the top of the list, because I don’t think there’s any other species that would be more awesome to bring back. Here’s an old discussion about that (one of my favorite threads that I started): [Cloning a Neandertal - Great Debates - Straight Dope Message Board](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=679927) Ethics would forbid this. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/25 "2019-12-09T19:23:28Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Reviving a species like that brings in a whole new set of problems beyond what has already been brought up, the chief being _Will they have human rights?_. If so, then any attempt to control them will bring forth protests from around the globe, and by “control them” I mean where they are allowed to go, what they are allowed to do, and how large their population becomes. I offer some detailed ways to address this issue (the answer is “yes, of course they’ll have rights” – Neanderthals were human, after all) in that thread. That doesn’t seem to me to be nearly as difficult a problem as some have suggested. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/26 "2019-12-09T19:23:34Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Screw this “Zoos and nature preserves” BS. How about _ranches?_ We hunted the mammoth to extinction for a reason, and it’s got to be that they’re _ **tasty** _. … It is unlikely humans hunted the mammoths to extinction. More climate change. Mammoths very likely taste like elephant. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/27 "2019-12-09T19:24:28Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Ethics would forbid this. I’m not sure about this, but even so – if it becomes scientifically feasible, then some country or even some rich person is likely to try it eventually. Best to at least talk about the best ways to do this ethically before then, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/28 "2019-12-09T19:28:05Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > I think I am with **iiandyiiii** on this. Sufficient for what? Our cultural and scientific needs? I don’t think any amount of inspiration has been or ever will be “sufficient” for those. Without proper controls the next question could be “How much did the deaths of various species and/or ecosystems due to the unforeseen circumstances brought about by introducing these previously extinct species into the world inspire you?” ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/29 "2019-12-09T19:32:32Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Without proper controls the next question could be “How much did the deaths of various species and/or ecosystems due to the unforeseen circumstances brought about by introducing these previously extinct species into the world inspire you?” I’m not afraid to say that I’m in favor of “proper controls”. Anyone against? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/30 "2019-12-09T19:39:54Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I’m not sure about this, but even so – if it becomes scientifically feasible, then some country or even some rich person is likely to try it eventually. Best to at least talk about the best ways to do this ethically before then, IMO. Doing something ethically does not preclude others from doing the same thing _un_ethically so again, extremely tight controls is the only solution. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/31 "2019-12-09T19:41:38Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I’m not afraid to say that I’m in favor of “proper controls”. Anyone against? > > 😉 😉 aside, are such obviously necessary controls even possible? ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/32 "2019-12-09T19:46:22Z")
The “oh HELL yeah” is severely hindering my objectivity. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/33 "2019-12-09T19:54:48Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > The “oh HELL yeah” is severely hindering my objectivity. Then I hope "[Invasive Species"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasive_species) bolsters it. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/34 "2019-12-09T20:09:49Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > 😉 aside, are such obviously necessary controls even possible? I doubt we’ll resolve that in this thread… but I think the discussion would be much more fun if we presume this is possible. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/35 "2019-12-09T20:14:48Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I doubt we’ll resolve that in this thread… but I think the discussion would be much more fun if we presume this is possible. It would be even more fun if the thread was titled “What are some fun species we could bring back from extinction?” and posted in IMHO, wouldn’t it? All I am doing is bringing up points of debate that I think are valid. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/36 "2019-12-09T20:17:57Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > It would be even more fun if the thread was titled “What are some fun species we could bring back from extinction?” and posted in IMHO, wouldn’t it? > All I am doing is bringing up points of debate that I think are valid. Fair enough. I’ll defer to the expertise of any ecologist Dopers, but ISTM that having a nature reserve with woolly mammoths would pose no more risk to the surrounding environment then, say, having a wildlife reserve in Arkansas with African savannah wildlife (and I’m pretty sure I went to one of these as a teenager in the 90s). Or if that’s too dangerous for us, then something similar to putting elephants in the Smithsonian zoo in Washington DC. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/37 "2019-12-09T20:30:35Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Ethics would forbid this. I’m going to declare the Neanderthal thing a hijack. You can count on it having it’s own Science Fiction Debate thread in the future. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/38 "2019-12-09T20:34:12Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > What counts as recent in this analysis? I need to know if mammoths are in or out before I can decide if I agree with you. Nope, not mammoths, or giant sloths. Completely arbitrarily, I’m setting it at only species extinct after 1000 CE ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/39 "2019-12-09T20:35:22Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Fair enough. I’ll defer to the expertise of any ecologist Dopers, but ISTM that having a nature reserve with woolly mammoths would pose no more risk to the surrounding environment then, say, having a wildlife reserve in Arkansas with African savannah wildlife (and I’m pretty sure I went to one of these as a teenager in the 90s). Or if that’s too dangerous for us, then something similar to putting elephants in the Smithsonian zoo in Washington DC. You may be thinking of ‘The Wilds’ in Central Ohio, Andy. > **[The Wilds](https://www.thewilds.org/)** > > Grab your camera and board our open-air safari vehicles for an exhilarating adventure through open-range landscapes. They have white rhinos, antelope, zebra, giraffe and other large animals non-native the Ohio. Even cheetah and painted dogs. Anyway, on with the show. The question here is the ethics of bringing species back from the dead. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594/40 "2019-12-09T20:35:47Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > We hunted the mammoth to extinction for a reason, and it’s got to be that they’re _ **tasty** _. If they’re anything like elephant, then no. No, they are not tasty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-debate-reviving-extinct-species/844594.md?page=3)