Is cloning the answer to protecting endangered species?
With the continuous expansion of the human population there are an increasing number of endangered species struggling to fight extinction. The severity of the problem is more widely known now than ever and scientists have begun to attempt the reproduction of extinct and endangered species. Kurt Benirschke launched a program at the san diago zoo in 1975 to freeze cells taken from endangered species, He assumed that his colleagues would use the collection of DNA to unravel the genetic similarities among animals but when news of dolly the sheep being successfully cloned got out the idea of bringing back extinct and endangered speiceies came much more practical (Cohen, 66). Although this idea seems appealing, many conservation biologists argue that the efforts to clone the endangered species would be very expensive, inefficient, and would actually take away from traditional conservation methods. (cohen, 67)
Is cloning lost ancestors a possibility?
One of the most commonly asked questions in the field of cloning is; is it possible to reincarnate extinct ancestors such as Neanderthals? Well there is no science that disproves the possibility of this being done through cloning. In theory scientists already have the technology needed to asexually reproduce extinct species, the problem lies with the task of obtaining healthy cells and ultimately the reproductive organs of both sexes of a species. In other words, even if scientists found a frozen and well preserved male neandrathal and took cells from it, they would only have half of the pieces to the puzzle as they would still need a healthy surrogate mother as well as healthy eggs. With continuing advancements in technology this idea of resurrecting extinct ancestors is not completely out of question.