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Author Topic:   Extinct animal resurrected by cloning!
Annafan
Member (Idle past 4609 days)
Posts: 418
From: Belgium
Joined: 08-08-2005


Message 1 of 19 (497262)
02-03-2009 7:14 AM


Announced a couple of days ago: Extinct ibex resurrected by cloning
The Pyrenean ibex, a form of wild mountain goat, was officially declared extinct in 2000 when the last-known animal of its kind was found dead in northern Spain.
Shortly before its death, scientists preserved skin samples of the goat, a subspecies of the Spanish ibex that live in mountain ranges across the country, in liquid nitrogen.
Using DNA taken from these skin samples, the scientists were able to replace the genetic material in eggs from domestic goats, to clone a female Pyrenean ibex, or bucardo as they are known. It is the first time an extinct animal has been cloned.
Discuss?
- does this approach have a real future?
- current state of the art of cloning?
- is it wise to make a lot of publicity around this (possibly diminishing attention for preservation of species)? Kinda like how the availability of AIDS medication made risk groups less vigilant.
- ...

Replies to this message:
 Message 3 by dronestar, posted 02-04-2009 9:21 AM Annafan has replied

  
Annafan
Member (Idle past 4609 days)
Posts: 418
From: Belgium
Joined: 08-08-2005


Message 4 of 19 (497475)
02-04-2009 9:42 AM
Reply to: Message 3 by dronestar
02-04-2009 9:21 AM


Re: god . . . schmod, I want my monkey-man.
dronester writes:
I never fully considered the possible NEGATIVE ramifications of cloning.... Hmmm. Interesting thought.
The idea is that, with all the hyperbole and oversimplifications that are so typical for mass media, the general public could get the impression from these kind of headlines that the problem of the extinction of species "has been solved". This could significantly impact the acceptance of policies which aim for preservation, but against a certain cost (economical, liberties, convenience...).
This while of course successes like these are merely micro-steps. If you have one clone, you don't even have a pair to breed. You have zero genetic diversity. It's only possible when you have a closely related species available to carry the fertilized egg upto birth (and how "genuine" will the eventual animal be in that case?). There probably isn't a habitat available, etc. etc. etc. It's not even CLOSE to reanimate an extinct species, recent or not.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 3 by dronestar, posted 02-04-2009 9:21 AM dronestar has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 5 by kuresu, posted 02-04-2009 9:49 AM Annafan has not replied

  
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