Back from the dead: scientists trying to bring back mammoths

[GwydeanRunix]

"Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should"

I was waiting for that. Seriously, does no one remember Jurassic Park?

 

[Private Custard]

Not a good idea at all.

Basically, they're going to create something that isn't ever going to be 100% mammoth, and then spend the next few decades poking and prodding it while it barely survives 10,000 years worth of viral evolution that it's ill-equipped to deal with.

Immunity is unrelated to genetics. It's related to the types of antibodies in the bloodstream. So what you said is ridiculous. Besides, viruses only attack specific species. Remember the end of War of the Worlds? Yeah, you see that was a movie where they made shit up. There are no viruses on Earth that can attack Martians. There are no universal viruses.

I like this idea because it will show we can still use old tissue samples to bring back extinct species. You know the Bee population is declining? Bees are needed to polinate a lot of our food. So if they go extinct...we're screwed. But if we have a tissue sample in storage, we can use this technique to reintroduce them to the wild.

There are a lot of species that are being stored in underground vaults. It would be nice to know we might be able to do something with them one day.

So a creature closely related to elephants stands no chance of catching a modern day virus then??

Even a baby elephant at Twycross Zoo, here in the UK, got ill soon after birth. Imagine what will happen to a creature that hasn't had 10,000 years to build its immune system along with the viruses of the time.

I'm all for keeping tissue samples of important creatures of our time (the bee thing is a good example). But a mammoth.......what's the point?

No-one's offered a single valid reason as to why the mammoth thing is a good idea, when there are plenty of other creatures scientists could work with.

Again, Immunity is unrelated to genetics (which is what cloning works with). It's related to the types of antibodies in the bloodstream.

The mammoth is being born today, not 10,000 years ago and being taken out of hibernation. The immunities to various diseases we are born with are not due to our genes, we get them from our birth mothers. So this mammoth will get his immunities from his birth mother, likely an elephant or something. So this mammoth will be immune to all illnesses that an elephant is immune to.

Does that make sense?

It does. It's different to what they were saying last time they decided they were going to try 'making' a mammoth, probably about a decade ago.

But, with the illness issue sorted, I still don't see any point when these scientific superbrains could be putting their skills to use with creatures of today.

There's a whole world of endangered and important animals, yet they want to create something that has no place or purpose!

 

[moretimethansense]

Immunity is unrelated to genetics. It's related to the types of antibodies in the bloodstream. So what you said is ridiculous. Besides, viruses only attack specific species. Remember the end of War of the Worlds? Yeah, you see that was a movie where they made shit up. There are no viruses on Earth that can attack Martians. There are no universal viruses.

There aremore than a few viruses that can jump the species barrier though, that's why everybody panics when a bird sneezes somwhere.
I'ts implausable, but then so is the Idea of an alien species trying to wipe us out with three legged tanks for teh lulz.

 

[The Afrodactyl]

All I can say is: "Kinki University"

You can tell that's japanese... xD

 

[staika]

why waste your time cloning a mammoth when gluing hair to an elephant and calling it a mammoth is much easier

 

[TerribleAssassin]

They're basically elephants with fur that aren't suited for today's climate.
Woop.
Bring back a Tyrannasaurus Rex and I'll be interested. You could win wars with that.

Call of Duty: Dinofare?


It seems possible, but wouldn't placing the embryo into the elephant be a very tiring and risky procedure? And where would be it's habitat if they managed to recreate the race?

 

[emeraldrafael]

i thought I heard this before.

i still ask what the hell you're gonna do with it when you bring it back. And why you bother. Its like the Human race is trying to kill itself.

And on that note, I vote that we bring back members of the raptor family in large quantities so they can pack hunt and such. Where would your god be then?
http://mthruf.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/b717dd0d-85bd-4961-973b-660a69786e65.jpg
its happening already appearantly. XD

 

[tehbeard]

They're basically elephants with fur that aren't suited for today's climate.
Woop.
Bring back a Tyrannasaurus Rex and I'll be interested. You could win wars with that.

Maybe strap a howitzer on it and possibly a railgun or 3?

I fail to see railgun rex beating sharks with lasers

OT: Interesting, but as stated viral evolution is gonna play havoc with the poor thing.

 

[Ponce Master-General]

DAAAAAAMNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!

The coolometer has been broken.

 

[Macrobstar]

This would be a fantastic scientific achievement (100g to be precise XD) whether the mammoth itself will be of any use is irrelevant, the feat alone is worth accomplishing just to show we can do it

 

[bubba145]

A mammoth. why don't we try something that is easier to do first like a fish or small lizard. why are we jumping to hardest one first. work your way up people.
also we need some T-rexs in the military.

 

[Ensiferum]

Awesome. Here's hoping this means we get dinosaurs at some point

 

[E-Penguin]

I misread a part of the article.

"Elephants lay eggs? Aren't they mammals??"

I realized that I had misread it a few seconds after, but still...

 

[phantasmalWordsmith]

...where are they going to put it? shave it and put it in the sahara or somewhere cold?

 

[paragon1]

So, did anybody else first think, "I wonder what they'll taste like?" immediately after reading this? We hunted those bastards to extinction, so I think they'd be pretty tasty.

 

[Sn1P3r M98]

They're basically elephants with fur that aren't suited for today's climate.
Woop.
Bring back a Tyrannasaurus Rex and I'll be interested. You could win wars with that.

but how do you top a T-rex from eating your own army?

Fallout 3 Deathclaw esque mind control headsets, of course!

OT: That sounds stupid. Woolly Mammoths aren't here today for a reason, you know.

 

[MindBullets]

Practical? No. Awesome? Yes!

FOR SCIENCE!

 

[Verp]

A mammoth. why don't we try something that is easier to do first like a fish or small lizard. why are we jumping to hardest one first. work your way up people.
also we need some T-rexs in the military.

Uh. How many well preserved small fish or lizards do you expect them to have from the permafrost of Siberia or similar areas?

"Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should"

I was waiting for that. Seriously, does no one remember Jurassic Park?

What would you say to me if NASA was sending a group of highly trained professionals instead of a ragtag group of oil drillers to do something about a gigantic piece of space debris that is on its way to Earth and I were to sigh "Seriously, does NOBODY remember Armageddon?!"

I mean, the lesson of Jurassic Park was hardly even "Don't mess with nature", it was "Don't leave all of your security systems to the hands of a frivolous double-crossing hacker and make sure all the other shit works too before inviting anyone into your park, idiot".

 

[Atmos Duality]

SCIENCE!!!

Ahem...given the general lack of speciation (quite the opposite, we're causing the 6th Mass-Extinction on the planet), this isn't necessarily a bad idea.

 

[kikon9]

Uh why do they need to do this and does the mammoth even have a natural habitat anymore that's resonable?Because I can't see introducing something the size of a fucking elephant into an area like Alaska,Russia,or Canada without massive detriments to the environment.

I think they're more interested in examining them in captivity than reintroducing them to the wild.