December 3, 2008

Will the mammoth return?

It may sound like the storyline of a film and in fact, this scenario has been the basis to many books, TV programmes and films, but could this be the age where scientists begin to repopulate the world with species that have been extinct.

However, when the frozen remains of a mammoth were found in Siberia a month ago, scientists began to decode the animals DNA. Now there are those who believe that this is just the first step in something that is quite extraordinary and that is bringing back species that have been gone for a long time.

Whether this is a good thing or not, the science involved is very fascinating and yes, it is very similar to the book and film, Jurassic Park.

Bringing back animals that died thousands of years ago would not be a good idea, but bringing back creatures, which have been extinct over the last hundred years or so, could be a good idea, so one day we could go down the local park to feed the Dodo’s.

Source [Telegraph]