Ten Extinct Beasts That Could Walk The Earth Again

News Scientist ^ | 1/07/2009 | Staff Writers

[ex-Texan]

THE recipe for making any creature is written in its DNA. So last November, when geneticists published the near-complete DNA sequence of the long-extinct woolly mammoth, there was much speculation about whether we could bring this behemoth back to life.

Creating a living, breathing creature from a genome sequence that exists only in a computer's memory is not possible right now. But someone someday is sure to try it, predicts Stephan Schuster, a molecular biologist at Pennsylvania State University, University Park, and a driving force behind the mammoth genome project.

So besides the mammoth, what other extinct beasts might we coax back to life?

Well, it is only going to be possible with creatures for which we can retrieve a complete genome sequence. Without one, there is no chance. And usually when a creature dies, the DNA in any flesh left untouched is soon destroyed as it is attacked by sunshine and bacteria.

There are, however, some circumstances in which DNA can be preserved. If your specimen froze to death in an icy wasteland such as Siberia, or snuffed it in a dark cave or a really dry region, for instance, then the probability of finding some intact stretches of DNA is much higher. * * *

Of course, bringing extinct creatures back to life raises a whole host of practical problems, such as where they will live, but let's not spoil the fun . . .

For Details About These Beasts Click Here

They inlcude the Sabre-Toothed Tiger and Neanderthal Man (Homo neanderthalensis) . . .

[2111USMC]

Same here.

Wonder what the bag limit will be.....

[rednesss]

It's already been done. Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I'm just a caveman. I fell on some ice and later got thawed out by some of your scientists. Your world frightens and confuses me! Sometimes the honking horns of your traffic make me want to get out of my BMW.. and run off into the hills, or wherever.. Sometimes when I get a message on my fax machine, I wonder: "Did little demons get inside and type it?" I don't know! My primitive mind can't grasp these concepts. But there is one thing I do know - when a man like my client slips and falls on a sidewalk in front of a public library, then he is entitled to no less than two million in compensatory damages, and two million in punitive damages. Thank you.

[ex-Texan]

Regarding one of your favorite quotes -

[scfischer7]

Thats a classic. I actually think about those skits quite a bit.. Strange huh?

[gargoyle]

...We all ready have Neanderthals. I’ve worked with them for years in the constrution business. Big, dumb and stupid. Uppp, sorry, my mistake, they’re just hillbilly farm boys from NC and KY. Jarhead, no talent, cracker a&&holes...

...”Aum th bess, evabody wonts mue”...

...Do I sound bitter???

[GL of Sector 2814]

Yes. Yes you do.

[rednesss]

I always liked Phil Hartman, sad that he didn’t choose his spouses better.

[Fractal Trader]

GGG ping

[allmendream]

I blame Andy Dick!

Ok, not really, but still....what an ass.

[AuH2ORepublican]

I would most definitely take out the Neanderthal for ethical reasons, and would substitute it with the passenger pigeon.

Frankly, if they’re going to give do-overs to some species, it should be those that we killed off, not those that disappeared hundreds of thousands of years ago.

[wintertime]

They inlcude the Sabre-Toothed Tiger and Neanderthal Man (Homo neanderthalensis) . . .
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

OOO...I can see it now! Cool saber tooth designer pets!

Neaderthal man....Now that would be an abomination.

[Peelod]

I vote for the Dodo and the Giant Beaver!

so did Aeneas.

[Abathar]

No limit, but you have to pack it out on foot...

[Maceman]

It seems that Keynesians should be on the list, although they have already been resurrected, and appear to have multiplied rapidly.

[Flycatcher]

Oh... you’re bad! Clever, but bad...

[gargoyle]

...Good, I thought it was just me...

...It’s Ok. I’m working on it every day...

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

Which Aeneas?

Aeneas Silvius, mythological king of Alba Longa
Aeneas Tacticus (fl. 4th century BC), Greek writer
Aeneas of Gaza (fl. 5th century AD), philosopher
Modern
Aeneas de Caprara (1631-1701), Austrian field marshall
Aeneas Chigwedere (b. 1939), Zimbabwean politician
Aeneas Coffey (1780-1852), inventor of the Coffey still
Æneas baron Mackay (1839-1909), prime minister of the Netherlands
Æneas Shaw (c.1740–1814), soldier and politician of Upper Canada
Aeneas Williams (b. 1968), U.S. athlete
Ships

[Inappropriate Laughter]

An "abomination"?

[wintertime]

laughing and laughing!

[gimme1ibertee]

LOL!I do believe she would! :P