• Question: I remember reading an article in national geographic about scientists being able to bring back a mammoth (http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/05/mammoths/cloning-interactive) Do you think they should?

    Asked by danrumford to Cat, Daz, Holly, Johnson, Pamela on 21 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Cat O'Connor

      Cat O'Connor answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      Hi Dan,

      I read an article just like this a few years ago ( http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126905.000-ten-extinct-beasts-that-could-walk-the-earth-again.html ) in New Scientist that talked about a couple of species that we could bring back to life and I was fascinated, just like you I guess. But it’s a question i’m not so sure about. Firstly, I’ve LOVE to see an Irish Elk, i’ve seen a pair of its antlers (they are on display in a museum in Glasgow) and woe, I could never imagine a deer that big surviving! And that’s the point I think. Our worlds have changed too much for a lot of these species to survive. Sure we barely have enough room for elephants (you might have heard about an increase in conflict between humans and elephants, and this is all to do with lack of space for elephants), not to mind mammoths! I think we shouldn’t bring back animals that have been extinct a long time but for animals that are on the brink…..maybe it wouldn’t be too late to help them.

      What’s your opinion?

      Cat

    • Photo: Pamela Lithgow

      Pamela Lithgow answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      Hi Dan,
      I agree with Cat, there is not actually anywhere for them to go! Also there is a big difference between being able to do something and actually doing it. What this article is suggesting is that as we have the genetic code for mammoths we might be able to make one. Cloning is actually a very tricky business so I think we are probably quite a long way from actually being able to bring mammoths back.
      I don’t think we could have mammoths in the world we live in now.
      What do you think?
      Pam
      🙂

Comments