George church & researchers at harvard
Scientists from Harvard University have successfully incorporated genes of the woolly mammoth into the genome of the elephant. Lead researcher George Church says that it only a closer step to resurrecting these animals. Church compared genes of the woolly mammoth to the Asian elephant to spot the differences. Then, they inserted genes of the mammoth into the Asian elephant genome.“We prioritized genes associated with cold resistance including hairiness, ear size, subcutaneous fat and, especially, hemoglobin [the molecule in red blood cells that transports oxygen around the body]” Church told the Sunday Times.
The innovative ideas and motives of those companies and individuals whose goal is to resurrect endangered and extinct animals all contribute to where de-extinction is today. It is filled with many projects on the works and methods to further develop resurrecting the lives lost. Without these contributors, de-extinction would have not progressed and would have remained as an impossible idea.
innovators
revive & Restore
Revive & Restore's mission is to "enhance biodiversity through genetic rescue of endangered and extinct species". Its current projects include rescuing Asian elephants from a lethal virus, and bringing back certain species, such as passenger pigeons, woolly mammoths from extinction. These projects require DNA assembling and sequencing, bioinformatic analysis, genome editing, cross-species editing, and much more. The ultimate motive of Revive & Restore is to restore animals and return them to their respective home.
stewart brand
Brand seeks to re-create species that have disappeared from the planet as a lifelong environmentalist. He has created many projects and groups in the tech industry, such as Whole Earth Catalog, The WELL, the Global Business Network, and the Long Now Foundation. He is also the creator of the project Revive & Restore. He recently released a book Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto.
ark corporation
Ark Corporation, co-founded by stem-cell pioneer Robert Lanza and Harvard Medical School DNA expert George Church, hopes to revive extinct species. However, the real motive is to combine cell biology and genome engineering to breed livestock and DNA-altered pets to live longer. The corporation uses induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells. iPS cells can be created by adding certain chemicals to a skin cell would allow it to become another tissue cell of the body, such as sperm or egg cells.
beth shapiro
Shapiro is an expert in ancient DNA as well as a biologist at UCSC. Shaprio believes that there is no ideal species to bring back to life since there are many steps in de-extinction. However, she suggests that the best animal to be resurrected is one that would benefit the environment positively, the mammoth. In her book, How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction, she discusses the ethics, steps, and questions to ask before resurrection biology can be a reality.
Sooam Biotech Research Foundation in Seoul
The company, based on South Korea, partnered with Russia's North-Eastern Federal University of the Sakha Republic in 2012 to clone a mammoth based on a high quality sample of their DNA. Once a high-quality mammoth genome could be found, it can be inserted into an elephant egg to form a mammoth embryo. Sooam were able to clone coyotes using a domestic dog, which was proof that cloning could be an interspecies process.
sergey zimov
A Russian scientist, Zimov's motive is to revive a 10,000-year-old pasture ecosystem that includes the mammoth. Zimov believes that reviving the mammoth and introducing it to the tundra would allow for the revival of the ancient grassland. It would then prevent Siberia's permafrost, which would slow down climate change.
Douglas McCauley
McCauley and his colleagues from UCSB have developed various recommendations for de-extinction. First, it is better to resurrect recently extinct animals rather than ancient ones. This would allow the for resurrected species to fit in more easily to the ecosystem today. Secondly, the group suggests choosing species whose niche or role in the ecosystem is irreplaceable. Their last recommendation includes resurrecting an abundance amount of organisms in order to provide enough function in their ecosystem.