Playing God or Second Chances? The Complex Ethics of De-extinction

Photo by April Pethybridge on Unsplash

De-extinction, also known as resurrection biology or species revivalism, is the process of generating an organism that either closely resembles or is an exact genetic copy of an extinct species. This emerging field of science aims to bring extinct species back to life through various biotechnological methods. While de-extinction raises exciting possibilities, it also surfaces ethical, ecological and biological concerns that warrant careful consideration.

The Roots of De-extinction

Interest in de-extinction gained momentum in the late 20th century, as breakthroughs in reproductive technologies, genomics and synthetic biology enabled scientists to deliberately engineer and modify organisms. The idea of resurrecting lost species was popularized by novels like Jurassic Park and motivated real scientific inquiry into whether such feats could be achieved in actuality.

In 2003, scientists produced the first cloned endangered wild ox or gaour through intersp…