De-Extinction Aurana Lo http://www.nationalgeographic.com/deextinction/

Extinction Extinction – there are no more living members of a species Has happened several times For Example: Passenger Pigeon (September 1914) Saber-tooth Tiger Tasmanian Tiger (September 1936) Dodo Bird (1662) Baiji White Dolphin (2002) West African Black Rhinos (April 2015) Woolly Mammoths (1650 BC) Etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_pigeon

Reasons for extinction Several reasons for extinction/endangerment Some are non-human related while others are human related Some reasons for extinction/endangerment are more dominate than others

Reasons for extinction Non-Human Related Reasons Climate Change (Heating and Cooling) Changes in Sea Levels/Currents Asteroids/Cosmic Radiation Acid Rain Disease

Reasons for extinction Human Related Reasons Increased Human Population Destruction of Habitat Pollution Climate Change/Global Warming Hunting Introducing invasive species

http://all-that-is-interesting.com/de-extinction

De-Extinction De-extinction: resurrection biology, creating an organism which is a member of an extinct species Have the ability to de-extinct some species using new technology There is controversy over whether we should do it https://blogs.umass.edu/natsci397a-eross/de-extinction-guidelines-for-species-revival-2/

The Basic Science Behind it: Use the closest related animal alive to the extinct animal Scientists have isolated the genes that are different between the two species (compare) Put in the extinct animal genes in the closest related living animal’s reproductive cell Likely using CRISPR Produce the extinct animal

http://www.ted.com/talks/stewart_brand_the_dawn_of_de_extinction_are_you_ready?language=en#t-708180

http://www.ted.com/talks/stewart_brand_the_dawn_of_de_extinction_are_you_ready?language=en#t-708180

http://www.ted.com/talks/stewart_brand_the_dawn_of_de_extinction_are_you_ready?language=en#t-708180

Example: Passenger Pigeon Example shown earlier There used to be 3-5 million Humans hunted to extinction Closest related living species: band-tailed pigeon This would bring back the species that used to cover the skies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_pigeon

Example: Woolly Mammoth Found well preserved Woolly Mammoths in ice Closest living relative: Asian Elephant Similar process to passenger pigeon There are several concerns http://a-z-animals.com/animals/woolly-mammoth/

Concerns Very controversial Several concerns Cartoon to the right explains one of the dilemmas of de-extinction http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pros-and-cons-of-de-extinction.html

Concerns Ethics/Morals Religious aspect Playing God? At what point should we stop meddling with life?

Concerns Environment The de-extinct species will wipeout endangered species Destroy the environment around it There is there no place for them to survive in Different conditions https://biotechnologysociety.wordpress.com/2015/03/25/welcome-to-jurassic-park-a-look-at-de-extinction/

Why? Why do this with so much controversy around de-extinction? Several reasons: Ethics/Morals Environment Other http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/de-extinction-of-woolly-mammoth-possible-in-30-to-50-years-1.1386592

WHY? Ethics/Morals Humans have a moral obligation to restore the environment Since we have destroyed nature so much Caused many species to become extinct Some believe we should do everything in our power to fix it

WHY? Environment Some animals can help the current state of the environment Some worry that woolly mammoths will destroy the environment But they will pack the snow and ice down to keep it from melting Also help build back the grass lands to keep the ice insolated Transports nutrients across large distances Restore the ecosystem Put it back how it used to be

WHY? Other Reasons To explore if it is actually possible to bring back an extinct species To learn more about animal conservation If this works, we can save endangered species as well To improve medicine Understanding the genomes can help us understand our blood better So we can treat more diseases

Quick Overview Using synthetic biology, we can bring back extinct species CRISPR Compare DNA from extinct species into closest related alive animal Put it in a motherly vessel Eventually get extinct baby animal Examples: Passenger Pigeon, Woolly Mammoth Concerns Wrong environment Can cause endangered animals to become extinct We are playing God Why? It could save the melting icecaps It’s our moral obligation To better understand certain kinds of animals for medical reasons To see if we can actually do it Thank you

Sources http://people.uwec.edu/jolhm/eh4/extinction/CausesLink.html http://www.esa.org/esablog/guest-posts/de-extinction-a-risky-ecological-experiment/ http://reviverestore.org/candidates/ http://www.nationalgeographic.com/deextinction/#close https://www.ted.com/talks/stewart_brand_the_dawn_of_de_extinction_are_you_ready?language=en#t-375886 http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-are-extinct-animals-we-can-should-resurrect- 180954955/?no-ist https://www.inverse.com/article/11803-the-de-extinction-of-woolly-mammoths-would-be-a-big-steppe-toward- saving-humans http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/de-extinction/

Sources http://reviverestore.org/category/de-extinction/ http://people.uwec.edu/jolhm/eh4/extinction/CausesLink.html http://www.onekind.org/education/top_10_lists/extinct/ http://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/news-posts/the-science-behind-de-extinction/ http://all-that-is-interesting.com/de-extinction http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pros-and-cons-of-de-extinction.html https://blogs.umass.edu/natsci397a-eross/de-extinction-guidelines-for-species-revival-2/ http://a-z-animals.com/animals/woolly-mammoth/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_pigeon