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It's crazy that we're talking about genetically re-engineering mammoths to help revitalize cold climates when we have such trouble preserving these elephant pop

It's crazy that we're talking about genetically re-engineering mammoths to help revitalize cold climates when we have such trouble preserving these elephant populations.

dalbasal 9y ago
erm... Idk. I see this as similar to the "we need to solve poverty before we can go to mars" issues. Things just work independently of one another. On one hand we have conservation, on the continent with the biggest poverty and governance issues. Wilderness, land-use & habitat issues are key issues. Outside of the artic, there just aren't many habits to support those kinds of far ranging species. African land tracts are unique. Elsewhere we have rewilding, in its infancy. The US seems to be transitioning from one to the other. Europe is very slowly opening up to the idea. Elsewhere we have some eccentric ideas about engineered hybrids using paleo-genetics, like the idea of bringing back mammoths. The ecological implications are complete unknowns. It's more of a genetics science project, with futuristic zoo implications. It's far from being a wilderness question at all. Resources don't compete. Projects like the Russian Pleistocene Park don't really need mammoths. They've had a lot success using "closest available substitute" species instead of extinct ones. Maybe African or Asian elephants can (or can be bred to) tolerate that kind of cold and eat local plants.
- crpatino 9y ago
  Absolutelly!!! Solving poverty is sooo boring, and we nerds rather like to play with our toys. There's also the profit motive, of course. Not to say that altruism does not exist, but if poverty was a problem that could be solved by market forces alone, there would be no poor people in developed countries and wars would be waged between the superpowers in order to duke it out whos going to go and help the last remanents of miserables in 4th world backwaters.
ceejayoz 9y ago
Some of the decline in elephant population is attributable with competition with humans - we grow crops, elephants like to eat them. I'd imagine a mammoth eating sedge in Siberia wouldn't be in as direct competition for resources as an elephant.
wavefunction 9y ago
Probably easier for Canada and the US and the Nordic countries to protect these reintroduced species than some of the more desperate and developing areas of the world. Russia, well I'm not sure. They'd probably benefit the most from the reintroduction of these species but I'm not familiar enough with Russian attitudes towards this sort of project. It would be amazing to be able to see the megafauna in the wild though, along with protecting the wildlife we currently have.

It's crazy that we're talking about genetically re-engineering mammoths to help revitalize cold climates when we have such trouble preserving these elephant populations.

dalbasal 9y ago

erm... Idk. I see this as similar to the "we need to solve poverty before we can go to mars" issues. Things just work independently of one another. On one hand we have conservation, on the continent with the biggest poverty and governance issues. Wilderness, land-use & habitat issues are key issues. Outside of the artic, there just aren't many habits to support those kinds of far ranging species. African land tracts are unique. Elsewhere we have rewilding, in its infancy. The US seems to be transitioning from one to the other. Europe is very slowly opening up to the idea. Elsewhere we have some eccentric ideas about engineered hybrids using paleo-genetics, like the idea of bringing back mammoths. The ecological implications are complete unknowns. It's more of a genetics science project, with futuristic zoo implications. It's far from being a wilderness question at all. Resources don't compete. Projects like the Russian Pleistocene Park don't really need mammoths. They've had a lot success using "closest available substitute" species instead of extinct ones. Maybe African or Asian elephants can (or can be bred to) tolerate that kind of cold and eat local plants.

crpatino 9y ago
Absolutelly!!! Solving poverty is sooo boring, and we nerds rather like to play with our toys. There's also the profit motive, of course. Not to say that altruism does not exist, but if poverty was a problem that could be solved by market forces alone, there would be no poor people in developed countries and wars would be waged between the superpowers in order to duke it out whos going to go and help the last remanents of miserables in 4th world backwaters.

ceejayoz 9y ago

Some of the decline in elephant population is attributable with competition with humans - we grow crops, elephants like to eat them. I'd imagine a mammoth eating sedge in Siberia wouldn't be in as direct competition for resources as an elephant.

wavefunction 9y ago

Probably easier for Canada and the US and the Nordic countries to protect these reintroduced species than some of the more desperate and developing areas of the world. Russia, well I'm not sure. They'd probably benefit the most from the reintroduction of these species but I'm not familiar enough with Russian attitudes towards this sort of project. It would be amazing to be able to see the megafauna in the wild though, along with protecting the wildlife we currently have.