NZ scientists leading de-extinction discussion
9 May 2017
A University of Otago professor has led a special journal issue focused on de-extinction, pouring cold water on the idea
that woolly mammoths might be making a come-back.
Writing in an editorial, guest editor Professor Philip Seddon predicted the next decade would see the cloning or genetic
reconstruction of some version of a formerly extinct species.
However, he writes that the most sensible candidates for de-extinction would be recently extinct species, whose return
would provide clear conservation benefit, rather than long-gone species like moa or woolly mammoth.
The six papers in the special issue of Functional Ecology consider the feasibility and implications of resurrecting extinct species.
Press releases are available on scimex from the University of Otago, University of Canterbury and University of Queensland.
Several authors from the special issue will be blogging about their papers on sciblogs.co.nz, including the University of Canterbury's Dr Tammy Steeves and Landcare Research's Dr Jamie Wood.
Prof Seddon's post is available now: De-extinction: the devil is in the details.
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