Ressurecting the Mammoth

[Mail Man]

I was reading today's newspaper during school and came across a somewhat interesting article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/science/20mammoth.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

If you don't want to read the entire thing, this is the theory behind it, in short.

Mammoth DNA differs from the DNA of its closest living relative, the African elephant, at only about 400,000 sites. By modifying the DNA of an elephant egg at some of these sites, and then repeating the process through many generations, an egg could in theory be made to produce a mammoth.

Your thoughts?

 

[Some Dude1]

i dont like this idea

 

[Orion]

Well then it's not resurrecting the mammoth, is it? It's gradually changing the DNA of an existing mammal to mimic that of a Mammoth's.

And I'm always interested to know just what the scientists, media and whoever else are done with it, what do they intend to do with the creature? Kill it, after so much effort? Release into the wild, where it wouldn't be equipped to survive?

 

[Aucune Raison]

Is there really a point to this?

I mean if they're just doing this for the hell of it, they shouldn't do it.

Mammoths aren't like dinosaurs, we know more about them.

 

[Essence of Elegy]

It's times like this that we have to think:

What would Chuck Norris do?

 

[Rorschach]

This sounds extremely similar to the theory from Jurassic Park with the Dino DNA and frogs.

 

[Iridium]

I was actually conversing about this topic in another forum I go to, and I have to say it's quite silly to try something like this.
Seriously, dino's or extinct plants, insects or anything else is more valuable to clone; and doing it for the hell of it is just stupid.

Then again this would be the first time anyone has cloned/recreated an extinct animal from gnomes in strands of hair.

 

[Pinwheel]

It's times like this that we have to think:

What would Chuck Norris do?

Kick the crap out of a mammoth?
I think it's a so-so idea to be honest. Ressurecting it? Yeah, we'll get to see a real live mammoth. Bad news? You just wasted 10 million dollars which could be put into something for better use?
If we're gona clone anything, at the very least do something that'll contribute to society? Hell, it'll die or EPIC fail anyways.

 

[Malevolence]

Extinct Animals should stay Extinct

 

[angelbabe74006]

I don't like it. All this talk of cloning and modifying DNA these days; science is going too far. There are some things that should just be left alone, and a long time extinct mammal like the mammoth is one of them. How far can and will stuff like this go?

 

[Iridium]

Hell, it'll die or EPIC fail anyways.

This.

Most clones don't survive very long after birth for various reasons, so that is the more then likely fate of the cloned mammoth. Animal genetic codes are complicated and hard to replicate correctly, so death is the fate for more clones to begin with until the technology becomes a bit more advance.

 

[angelbabe74006]

Creating something with the knowledge that the poor creature will probably die? That's not fair. The thought ticks me off. They shouldn't have even tried cloning in the first place. Hasn't anyone ever heard that curiosity killed the cat? This is far beyond what mankind should be capable of doing.

 

[Iridium]

Well cloning and for that matter stem cell research has their own advantages, such as creating a lung for a dying patient in need of a transplant and so on. Sometimes curiosity does get us into trouble, but even trying once couldn't really hurt, some species can actually do some good if they were to be resurrected. Then again finding the complete genetic strand that is viable for use is very hard.

Science for the sake of scientific discovery is just human curiosity at work, as much as we don't like some of the things we have created and or ruined in our curiosity of our world, we are bound to destroy what we create. It's in our nature. (<<< My attempt at sounding intelligent)

 

[WilliamTheWise]

I don't like the entire idea.
Now if we used clones to prevent say the polar bear from dying out then I'd be all for it.
But the mammoth had it's time and that has past.

 

[Pinwheel]

Even if this thing does happen to live more than 10 seconds and has the brain of a piece of crap, it'll eventually die. It won't breed. Also added to fact, if this is all scientists really have to do lately, why can't they research cancer or something?
Remember children, playing God isn't very nice. Just ask Hojo :thumbsup:.

 

[Iridium]

Well if it matters we found the gene that blocks HIV, some geneticists actually use their time wisely.

 

[Pinwheel]

I don't like the entire idea.
Now if we used clones to prevent say the polar bear from dying out then I'd be all for it.
But the mammoth had it's time and that has past.

This just earned you rep my friend.

 

[WilliamTheWise]

Well if it matters we found the gene that blocks HIV, some geneticists actually use their time wisely.

Yes they do.