4 ms·
Wonder if they are successful if they just go extinct again. Will they know how to hunt and reproduce? Interesting test of nature vs nurture.
by wonderwonder 4y ago
Wonder if they are successful if they just go extinct again. Will they know how to hunt and reproduce? Interesting test of nature vs nurture.
- aetherson 4y agoThe claim from the researchers is that there has been a lot of success in reintroducing human-raised animals into the wild, and that for mammals, most hunting/etc behavior is indeed instinctive.
- bencollier49 4y agoAn interesting test of some of the claims about epigenetics...
- rpastuszak 4y agoWhy?
- waserwill 4y agoMy guess: if non-genetic heritable elements -- epigenetics (such as modifications to DNA) -- are necessary for proper development, then the DNA sequence alone will not be enough to develop thylacines. (There are caveats, notably that some modifications can be inferred). However, the scientists will also be experimenting with gestation and creating embryos from modified cells, so whether epigenetics specifically is a limiting factor will be hard to tell.
- bencollier49 4y agoYes, that was basically my point. There has also been some fairly fevered speculation about epigenetics being responsible for some types of instinct - even "cross-generational memories" and the like.
- dsign 4y agoThis is a really great point. I want very much their effort to succeed, but I suspect epigenetic is so important for higher organisms that the chances of this working are rather low.
- bilsbie 4y agoWorst case you provide 90% of their food and decrease it a little bit for each generation until they’ve learned how to hunt.
- peteradio 4y agoMy family dog growing up was taught to hunt song birds by their mother. I don't think I've seen something so cute as a mother retriever crouch walking through the brush with 8 little pups in tow.
- WalterBright 4y agoSee "Born Free".
- gitargy 4y agoI wonder if a suitable habitat exists to re-introduce them too.