Scientists could resurrect the woolly mammoth, but should they?
Scientists may be able to bring back the woolly mammoth before the end of the decade.
Woolly mammoth model Royal BC Museum in Victoria. Picture: Thomas Quine via Wikimedia Commons
Clarence Ford speaks with Barbara Friedman about this and other stories trending online.
Listen to the interview in the audio below.
According to the DailyMail scientists have made major progress in the potential de-extinction of woolly mammoths.
They have managed to successfully reprogramme an elephant’s stem cells, which can be used to bring the species back to life.
The 'pluripotent' stem cells breakthrough would allow them to create elephant-mammoth hybrids as early as 2028.
These stem cells are able to grow on any cell in the body and will be combined with ancient woolly mammoth DNA to bring back the beast.
While this is an exciting development from a scientific point of view, for the public it does bring back memories of Jurassic Park.
“People are quoting Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park saying just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.”
- Barbara Friedman