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posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday October 24 2018, @03:21PM   Printer-friendly
from the buy-stock-in-car-washes dept.

Singularity Hub:

Novak is among a small group of "de-extinction" engineers, a relatively fringe group of scientists that hope to use genetic engineering to protect or revive iconic animal species ravaged by human activity.

To some, de-extinction is an ecological-sized guilt trip, a species-wide Pet Cemetery horror story ripe for disaster. Yes, biodiversity is important; but who is to say that an extinct species can adapt and survive in an ecological system that's moved on since its passing? Or perhaps more importantly, what if newly-revived animals—a true "invasive species" for Earth—cause more damage than good to our fragile ecosystem?

"Why go through the trouble" is something his team gets asked, said Novak. For passenger pigeons, the answer is simple: recently, almost a millennium [century] after their man-driven extinction, we finally understand the critical role they played in shaping the eastern North American ecosphere.

The passenger pigeon isn't extinct -- it's merely resting.


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  • (Score: 2) by insanumingenium on Wednesday October 24 2018, @11:05PM

    by insanumingenium (4824) on Wednesday October 24 2018, @11:05PM (#753364) Journal

    Their anti predation strategy was predator saturation.

    The other sad part is that they wouldn't mate in captivity, they are believed to have only mated in the context of their mega flocks.

    This is a bird that isn't coming back, which is sad because it was comically easy to slaughter an essentially unlimited number of them, was a wonderful way to feed the poor.

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