Scientists who have questioned the validity of efforts to “de-extinct” animals like the woolly mammoth and the dire wolf have complained of an apparent smear campaign to discredit them.

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https://www.newscientist.com/article/2490643-critics-of-de-extinction-research-hit-by-mystery-smear-campaign/

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It makes zero sense to bring back extinct species who have zero chance of surviving the current and future environment.

If anything we should be trying to adapt modern existing endangered animals so they can survive the coming decades.

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But they haven't brought back anything. It's all bullshit.

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The same people have also been doing that with the red wolf iirc. But de-extincting animals brings in the investors or something.

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It makes zero sense to bring back extinct species who have zero chance of surviving the current and future environment.

I agree that's a horrible idea but I doin't think anyone is actually proposing that.

For me the question is, is there enough scientific value to be gained by "de-extincting" these ancient creatures to justify keeping them in a controlled environment for study.

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never mind, i was wrong.

https://colossal.com/mammoth/

Colossal’s landmark de-extinction project will be the resurrection of the woolly mammoth - or more specifically a cold-resistant elephant with all of the core biological traits of the woolly mammoth. It will walk like a woolly mammoth, look like one, sound like one, but most importantly it will be able to inhabit the same ecosystem previously abandoned by the mammoth’s extinction.

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But won't be a mammoth.

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I have a friend who works for this company (or some other company with the same goal, I dont remember). She says that the mammoth with help maintain the ecosystem's native ground mosses (or something) to combat climate change.

I tried to point out to her that (1) that is a huuuuge stretch, (2) this sounds like a bunch of VCs just thought the idea was super cool and wanted to throw money at it because "duuuuude, dinosaurs!!!", (3) this is the exact plot to jurassic park, and (4) eventually the VC will dry up and her company will sell their tech to the super-rich to genetically modify their offspring, creating a permanent genetic class heirarchy in humans.

And then she told me she didnt want to hang out with me anymore.

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Had the same thought seems like a stepping stone to eventually create modified humans.

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i read an article where they claimed that the mammoths would stamp the co2 into the ground, so it cant escape. lol. also they were hoping to make money with carbon credits

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most importantly it will be able to inhabit the same ecosystem previously abandoned by the mammoth’s extinction.

Perfect! It'll be able to survive ice age tundra in a rapidly warming world.

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Figures. If these shysters at Colossal had any integrity, they wouldn't be calling their modified gray wolves "dire wolves" in the first place. Everything Colossal says about their dire wolf project is misleading or just plain bullshit. They're not "de-extincting" anything. They're making a larger breed of gray wolf. But that doesn't sound sexy enough to set them up for a cash-grab IPO.

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And I still don't understand their plan here

They now have jumbo sized wolves. They can never release the wolves or euphanize them, they'd face infinite public backlash

Giant wolves are not an asset, they're an expense

So... The only thing that makes sense is they want to get in on the zoo game. But, I can't see zoos buying up GMO look alikes, so are they trying to make bargain bin Jurassic Park? Did they not watch it?

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it's like they read Crichton and thought "ooooh these are all fantastic ideas....lets ignore the Compys eating the little girl alive and do the rest."

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The folks at the top are getting VC money now for genetic research. The eventual goal is to sell the tech for parts. The "dire wolf" "de-extinction" is just their proof of concept that their genetic tech works.

The folks down at the operational level are either just doing a job or really think what they're doing is cool (I mean, I would certainly think tinkering like that was a blast).

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That's fucking disgusting... But it does square the circle. I'm convinced, you're probably dead on with that

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To be honest it's just a guess. But that's what happens to tech. They start up a company that never becomes profitable but take in VC cash, then sell off to a big guy and go on to do it again.

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No... It makes way too much sense. I genuinely now think you're correct, I hate it, but your logic is very much solid

It's uncomfy, but I have to call truth as i see it

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so essentially Colossal is InGen.

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Resurrect Trilobites and give them lungs and sell as pets, then we can talk.

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Lol, Behind The Bastards Podcast covered these fools a while back.

Behind the Bastards: Part One: Dire Wolves, Dr. George Church & The De-Extinction Grift

Episode webpage

Media file

Behind the Bastards: Part Two: Dire Wolves, Dr. George Church & The De-Extinction Grift

Episode webpage

Media file

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I support having mammoths, dire wolves, and Pleistocene megafauna around. Seems max lulz.

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I fucking hate zoomer-ass comments like this. Like HAR HAR HAR nothing is serious, everything is just max lulz, everything is just vibes and good times HUR DURRRR!!!

Seriously, get fucked.

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Now that you wrote this hate-filled comment, I kind of appreciate people who write max lulz instead.

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jfc, why are you so angry?

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Excuse me? Hello? You appropriated my culture, and worse, you got it completely wrong.

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