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> let’s live on the moon or terraform mars instead of fixing our mess on this planet! Why not both? We are 8 billion on this planet, we can fix our mess and do
by GuB-42 2y ago
> let’s live on the moon or terraform mars instead of fixing our mess on this planet!
Why not both? We are 8 billion on this planet, we can fix our mess and do all these crazy things.
And I don't think "de-extinguishing" species is particularly unsafe. Generally, the risk with messing with biology is that things can get out of control, but here, we are talking about extinct species, they went extinct because they were not adapted to the environment we thrive in. By far the most likely result if we screw up is that the specie become extinct again.
- remixff2400 2y agoThat's the thing: we're _only_ 8 billion and amongst that we only have so many researchers and people who have the knowledge to do anything like that. We have limited capital to pursue any major initiative, so wasting it on unfeasible and non-beneficial initiatives like starting a Mars colony just wastes time we could do doing something more useful i.e. reforming deserts, stabilizing ecosystems, developing cheaper materials for various industries, etc. I'm not sure how dangerous "de-extinguishing" a species would be, but we've had numerous faux paus with destabilizing ecosystems by introducing non-native species (i.e. lionfish, as an invasive species). These cause extensive environmental damage and can be irreversible if not contained in time. The worst thing that could happen is losing control over the population of de-extinct species and damaging an ecosystem(s). That all being said, I'd be stumped if we somehow lost sight of a woolly mammoth... and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see one myself, so...