Should we recreate Jurassic Park?
Holden Kopman, Staff Writer
Should extinct animals be resurrected? This is a massive question many scientists dispute. With the return of animals such as the Wooly Mammoth, there can be many environmental adjustments. As they were gardeners, they trampled shrubs and knocked down trees; but bringing creatures like the saber tooth tiger to modern day earth can possibly unbalance the food chain. DNA cloning and gene-editing technology can be a solution for the return of these animals, but this would truly create more mayhem than do good. Though there may be some improvements to our ecosystem, bringing back these creatures will set them into an environment they are not used to, and end up forming a dramatic amount of chaos.
Some believe bringing extinct animals back can be looked at as a positive, as there may be a fair amount of upsides to this resurrection. Benjamin Kay, the Marine Bio teacher at Samo shares mixed opinions on the matter.
“If we have the technology, we should attempt to bring back these species, as the reason for the loss of biodiversity is mainly because of the affairs us humans have taken part in. We will also need to create ecosystems that match their needs as today’s ecosystem may be unsuitable for them. If these creatures will be brought back for sport or destructive needs of us humans, then I will not show any bit of support for this, ” Kay said.
Though Kay makes numerous points, there are many disagreements on this matter. Even if humans have had a part in these unfortunate animal’s extinctions, today’s global warming may very well lead them back into the grave. Talk of this genetic resurrection has become more and more realistic throughout the past few years as technology has improved a massive amount. If these creatures became extinct in the first place, it’s possible nature intended it to stay that way. As there are new top food chain animals now, such as lions and grizzly bears, a return of the once fierce Saber-toothed tiger can severely alter this chain of command. Kristen Mitchell, a food chain specialist who attended George Washington University has a brief explanation on how the food chain has changed since the time period of the sabertooths.
“Before the extinction, biotic influences like competition between animals were more important in determining which species occurred in which communities. After the extinctions, abiotic factors like climate seem to have become more important” Mitchell said.
Another important point is where will these animals go? Will they simply be let loose into the wild, or will they be constantly experimented on for research? A sudden act of releasing these creatures will be uncalled for, and there is no possible way to tell whether these creatures will function in today’s ecosystem. The change of carbon in the atmosphere has transitioned the landscape of this planet over the past many centuries. Creatures like the wooly mammoth and saber toothed tiger managed to function during the time of the ice age, but could they survive in today’s ecosystem with the increase in global warming?
With the facts presented at the time, it is impossible to tell whether it is the correct answer to bring back these foreign creatures, but as many studies show, this poses severe harm to our ecosystem.
