The woolly mammoth is a prehistoric animal that has been extinct for thousands of years. Upon first reading about this forum, the first question that popped into my head was: how can scientists recreate such a massive and extinct animal and reintroduce it into an entirely new ecosystem? Research to bring the woolly mammoth back began in 2013 when almost an entire woolly mammoth was dug up the permafrost of Siberia. From carbon dating, it was discovered that the woolly mammoth roamed the earth about 40,000 years ago. From the uncovered woolly mammoth, scientists extracted a DNA sample from the blood of the woolly mammoth in order to use gene splicing to create a mammoth-elephant hybrid. They then used CRISPR to isolate specific genes from the woolly mammoth DNA and integrated the segment into the genome of an Asian Elephant.
One reason scientists are looking to bring the woolly mammoth back would be because of its ability to combat global warming. Large amounts of carbon are trapped in the permafrost of the Siberian Plains, and as the tundra melts this carbon is released into the atmosphere. Integrating the woolly mammoth would introduce more herbivores that could feed on the land. Feeding on the land would expose the land to the cold air and allow the land to stay more frozen for a longer time which prevents the release of carbon into the atmosphere. However, the only disadvantage I can think of is that these animals have been extinct for so long that they may be unable to adapt to the evolved environment or impact the native species's ability to survive.
I think a lot of controversy surrounds this type of scientific experimentation. Critics of the woolly mammoth recreation argue that geneticists are playing god by reintroducing extinct species into the current environment. Despite ethical concerns, I think the reintroduction of the woolly mammoth could have a really helpful positive impact on undoing some of the harms surrounding global warming. I do think this could be done with other species if there are currently living species that are similar to the extinct species like the elephant is to the woolly mammoth, but again this raises several ethical questions.
History (January 22, 2019). Are Scientists on the Verge of Resurrecting the Wholly Mammoth? Retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/wooly-mammoth-resurrection-cloning-genesis
National Geographic (July 8, 2017). We Could Resurrect the Woolly Mammoth. Here’s How.Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/07/woolly-mammoths-extinction-cloning-genetics/
Bringing Back Woolly Mammoths. (2018, May 30). Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/bringing-back-woolly-mammoths/