4 ms·

Myself. It's interesting that so many people take it for granted that resurrecting extinct animals is a "good thing." Why is it a good thing? The referenced art

by asciimo 11y ago

Myself. It's interesting that so many people take it for granted that resurrecting extinct animals is a "good thing." Why is it a good thing? The referenced article doesn't ask this question. Ben Novak (the Passenger Pigeon researcher) said in an interview "... the destructive force of the flocks led to a radical rejuvenation of forests. Thick layers of pigeon droppings fertilized the soil, which soon led to new growth." Is new forest growth currently an issue? Are Passenger Pigeon droppings the only solution? http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/scientists-aim-to-bring-the-passenger-pigeon-back-from-extinction-a-893744.html http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/scientists-aim...

sehugg 11y ago
One could also ask the question of whether humans need to behave in such a way as to bring about the extinction of so many species. Certainly the passenger pigeon wasn't made extinct for the common good. Biodiversity is the only answer we have right now to the question of how to maintain a healthy planet (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiversity#Services_enhanced_by_biodiversity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiversity#Services_enhanced...). Until we get a lot smarter, it's wise to learn how to better preserve as much as we can.
cpeterso 11y ago
How would you feel about cloning endangered species compared to resurrecting extinct species? Endangered species are still part of ecosystem, so you avoid some of the problems or arguments around introducing new, invasive species.
guard-of-terra 11y ago
Siberian landscapes suffer much from not having mammoths, sabertooth tigers and wooly rhinos. Half of Siberia could be productive arctic steppe instead of grim forest we see today (we don't because there's no business being there). See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleistocene_Park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleistocene_Park

by asciimo 11y ago

sehugg 11y ago

One could also ask the question of whether humans need to behave in such a way as to bring about the extinction of so many species. Certainly the passenger pigeon wasn't made extinct for the common good. Biodiversity is the only answer we have right now to the question of how to maintain a healthy planet (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiversity#Services_enhanced_by_biodiversity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiversity#Services_enhanced...). Until we get a lot smarter, it's wise to learn how to better preserve as much as we can.

cpeterso 11y ago

How would you feel about cloning endangered species compared to resurrecting extinct species? Endangered species are still part of ecosystem, so you avoid some of the problems or arguments around introducing new, invasive species.

guard-of-terra 11y ago

Siberian landscapes suffer much from not having mammoths, sabertooth tigers and wooly rhinos. Half of Siberia could be productive arctic steppe instead of grim forest we see today (we don't because there's no business being there). See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleistocene_Park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleistocene_Park