The Facts
Colossal Biosciences, the company that aims to revive the wooly mammoth and Tasmanian tiger, said Tuesday that it also plans to launch a project to "de-extinct" the dodo bird and reintroduce it into the wild after 361 years.
The billion-dollar Texas-based startup has raised another $150M for the project for a total of $225M, with the company now valued at $1.5B.
The Spin
Narrative A
De-extinction projects won't just be for centuries or millennia-old animals, as there are countless species currently dying out all across the world. If we can learn to perfect the process, not only will individual animals be saved, but also the ecosystems in which they lived and helped maintain. Look no further than Siberia, which used to be a grassland fertilized by the wooly mammoth.
Narrative B
Though some value could be found in examining animals not seen for centuries, the negative consequences seem to outweigh the positives. Regarding animal safety, would these surrogate bird mothers be treated well or simply used and abused for the sake of human curiosity? And couldn't these resources be better spent on protecting the wildlife we currently have? Even if the intentions are good, conservation efforts should be prioritized over pet projects like this.
