From Fossils to Flesh: What is Resurrection Biology?

For centuries, extinction was thought to be the ultimate end. It was impossible to imagine a world filled with the age-old woolly mammoths roaming around the tundra or envision flocks of passenger pigeons soaring through the sky once again. But modern scientists are now challenging this belief. Thanks to all the revolutionary advancements in genetic research, de-extinction has become more than just a theoretical possibility.

 

 

 

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 For the longest time, fossil records have aided us in studying evolution by being the primary source of evidence. The issue was that while these were based on careful comparison of the remains of living animals, they remain hypothetical since we cannot observe these extinct species directly.

 But resurrection biology challenges this very notion. What if one could put the flesh back onto the bones of our extinct relatives?

 

What de-extinction truly does is use genetic engineering to recreate the genomes of extinct species. When done effectively, scientists can connect differences in traits or genetic makeup between ancient and modern specimens to evolutionary changes. Several de-extinction projects are already underway for species that have long been extinct like the passenger pigeon, Tasmanian tiger (thylacine), and more. Rather than creating a single individual to be put in a zoo, these projects aim to create entire populations that can be released back into their former habitats. By doing so scientists hope to restore the ecological roles these species played before.

 It is important to understand that the idea of reversing extinction isn’t entirely new. Ever since the concept of extinction was first introduced, scientists have been trying to find ways to undo it. The motive isn’t to define the process, but rather to promote ‘rebirth’, no matter the arising questions. 

 The common theme across all these projects, however, is that reviving extinct species could be a form of atonement—an attempt to make up for past wrongs that humans committed. Even now, the goal remains the same: to bring back what was lost and restore some balance to the natural world. Whether de-extinction succeeds or not, it raises important questions about humanity's responsibility to Earth and the lengths we're willing to go to correct past mistakes.