I dislike the sentiment in general, like you ("don't play god" holds no truck with us atheists), but in this case I think the article's skeptical view is not misplaced.
The root causes must be addressed, this is just a bandaid (if it works at all). Whatever put Northern Rhinos at risk will still exist. They don't breed easily, what will change for the new hybrids, if they live at all? And if these Rhino hybrids don't behave (mating-wise) like a Northern Rhino, then what exactly has been achieved, other than breeding a look-alike?
Plus there's a whiff of marketing/publicity for these businesses like Colossal that I'm not thrilled about. Their "direwolf resurrection" project seems to me an entirely marketing-driven effort (as well as misleading), as is their mammoth project.
I admit I like the idea of "resurrecting" extinct species Jurassic Park-style for the sake of coolness, but is it wise and is it where our efforts should be spent? Instead of these "spectacular" efforts shouldn't we focus on conservation of species which can still be saved, and in changing the conditions that put them at risk?
Sure, but like.. the utter failure of projects like this is explicitly needed to NOT fail THE NEXT TIME. That's not "hubris", it's just how science and technology works.
I'm saying it's not the "hubris" complaint, I agree with you on this. "You shall not play god" is a shallow warning for an atheist like me, and in any case, we cure diseases that "god" would have us die of.
The point is that I consider these efforts misguided publicity stunts. I think the efforts should be spent in actual conservation, rather than dubious attempts at creating hybrid specimens, without addressing what made the originals extinct or at risk.
If the effort is fundamentally misguided, no attempt at getting it right is going to be helpful. Are they going to do what, create better hybrids?
Same with the direwolf. Those aren't direwolves, they are gray wolves with some edited genes from ancient DNA direwolves. They are "direwolf lookalikes" (imperfectly! Even Colossal admits the white coats are not right), not direwolves, so not a true resurrection of the species (and should we, anyway? Why? Where would they live, with which species would they compete?).
Why not spend the effort in actual species currently at risk instead of what seems like a vanity project or publicity stunt?
Not the first animal humans made go extinct and it will not be the last. Last week i read the Atlantic mackerel will cease to exist if we do not stop fishing it. About time we invented a food replicator.
I really dislike when "trying to do good against the odds" is branded hubris.
I dislike the sentiment in general, like you ("don't play god" holds no truck with us atheists), but in this case I think the article's skeptical view is not misplaced.
The root causes must be addressed, this is just a bandaid (if it works at all). Whatever put Northern Rhinos at risk will still exist. They don't breed easily, what will change for the new hybrids, if they live at all? And if these Rhino hybrids don't behave (mating-wise) like a Northern Rhino, then what exactly has been achieved, other than breeding a look-alike?
Plus there's a whiff of marketing/publicity for these businesses like Colossal that I'm not thrilled about. Their "direwolf resurrection" project seems to me an entirely marketing-driven effort (as well as misleading), as is their mammoth project.
I admit I like the idea of "resurrecting" extinct species Jurassic Park-style for the sake of coolness, but is it wise and is it where our efforts should be spent? Instead of these "spectacular" efforts shouldn't we focus on conservation of species which can still be saved, and in changing the conditions that put them at risk?
Sure, but like.. the utter failure of projects like this is explicitly needed to NOT fail THE NEXT TIME. That's not "hubris", it's just how science and technology works.
I'm saying it's not the "hubris" complaint, I agree with you on this. "You shall not play god" is a shallow warning for an atheist like me, and in any case, we cure diseases that "god" would have us die of.
The point is that I consider these efforts misguided publicity stunts. I think the efforts should be spent in actual conservation, rather than dubious attempts at creating hybrid specimens, without addressing what made the originals extinct or at risk.
If the effort is fundamentally misguided, no attempt at getting it right is going to be helpful. Are they going to do what, create better hybrids?
Same with the direwolf. Those aren't direwolves, they are gray wolves with some edited genes from ancient DNA direwolves. They are "direwolf lookalikes" (imperfectly! Even Colossal admits the white coats are not right), not direwolves, so not a true resurrection of the species (and should we, anyway? Why? Where would they live, with which species would they compete?).
Why not spend the effort in actual species currently at risk instead of what seems like a vanity project or publicity stunt?
Nautilus' Christian dont-play-god bias shining through.
Not the first animal humans made go extinct and it will not be the last. Last week i read the Atlantic mackerel will cease to exist if we do not stop fishing it. About time we invented a food replicator.
Climate change has many second order effects we didn’t foresee.
The effects of climate change are a rounding error compared to poaching.
Whatever their relative impacts, they are a negative feedback cycle.