Tag: De-extinction

Taurus cattle in the Gerhausen/Beiningen quarry (Baden-Württemberg)
Taurus cattle in the “Urzeit-Weide” grazing project (Baden-Württemberg). An ecological approximation of the extinct aurochs—not a “bringing back” of extinct species. (© Jens Kramer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

De-extinction: Does the prospect of reviving an extinct species reduce concern about the extinction of extant species?

Less than a year ago, the US company Colossal Biosciences announced with great media fanfare that it had brought the so-called dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus), which went extinct around 13,000 years ago, back to life. The same is said to become possible in the future for other iconic extinct and

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Rau quaggas
In a selective breeding program in South Africa, several plains zebras have been bred that strongly resemble the extinct quagga. The progress from one generation to the next is clearly visible: the adult animals have fewer stripes, while the foals already show the quagga’s characteristic brownish tones. (© Photograph by The Quagga Project, CC BY 4.0., CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Extinct animals scientists want to bring back to life

What if the thylacine once again roamed Tasmania’s forests and the dodo made Mauritius its home again? Cutting-edge science and modern technologies are making it possible to bring extinct animals back to life. Although extinction is a natural process, human activity has dramatically accelerated it over the past 500 years.

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Ectopistes migratorius Wandertaube
The passenger pigeon was once the most common bird in North America. Today, it exists only in historical records and museum samples. Now modern gene-editing technologies are supposed to help bring the species back. (© Hayashi and Toda (artists), Charles Otis Whitman (author)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

The Revival of the Passenger Pigeon: A Project by Revive & Restore

The passenger pigeon, once the most common bird in North America, has been extinct for more than a century. Now, biologists from the nonprofit organization Revive & Restore have set a goal to bring the species back using cutting-edge gene-editing technologies. Under the leadership of Ben Novak, efforts are underway

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Beutelwolf-Genom-Rekonstruktion
Scientists discovered a well-preserved thylacine head with tissue in a museum in Melbourne, Australia. This museum find could help revive the extinct thylacine using genetic methods. (© Westell, William Percival, 1874-1937, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Putrid Museum Find Reveals 99.9% of Thylacine Genome

Researchers recently found a long-overlooked bucket in the back of a Melbourne Museum cabinet, containing a well-preserved thylacine head stored in ethanol for over 110 years. Andrew Pask, head of the Tigrr Lab at the University of Melbourne, described the sight as “gruesome” in an interview with The Guardian, noting

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Auerochse / Ur
This painting is a copy of the original, which was acquired from a dealer in Augsburg in the 19th century. The original likely dates back to the 16th century. It is unclear whether it depicts an aurochs, a cross between cattle and an aurochs, or an aurochs-like cattle breed. (© Charles Hamilton Smith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

The Return of the Aurochs as the Tauros: From Extinction Back to the Pastures

For nearly 400 years, the aurochs, or urus, the wild ancestor of all modern domesticated cattle, has been considered extinct. However, it may soon reappear in the form of the Tauros, its selectively bred successor, in the UK. According to a report by BBC Countryfile, there are plans to reintroduce

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Gelingt Wissenschaftlern die Elfenbeinspecht-Wiederbelebung bis 2025?
Ivory-billed woodpeckers were found mainly in the southern United States. The main causes of their population decline are believed to be hunting and habitat loss. (© Doreen Fräßdorf, fotografiert im Natural History Museum in London, England, 2024)

Biotech Company Plans to Revive the Ivory-billed Woodpecker by 2025

The U.S. biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences announced on October 1st its plan to revive the ivory-billed woodpecker by 2025, amidst the ongoing debate about whether this iconic bird species is truly extinct. The ivory-billed woodpecker was once a keystone species in the forests of the southern United States, playing a

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Ausgestorbene Wandertaube: Jungvogel, Männchen, Weibchen
A depiction of the extinct passenger pigeon created between 1910 and 1914: a young bird (left), a male (middle) and a female (right). (© Louis Agassiz Fuertes, via Wikimedia Commons)

Passenger Pigeon

From the most common to an extinct bird species When European explorers reached eastern North America in the 16th century, they were amazed at the huge flocks of birds they found in the ancient forests. Compared to Europe, where large parts of the forests had already been cut down, they

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