The curiosity to know the ancient worlds that roamed the same lands that we now inhabit is a constant in humanity. Discovering how life was born and deciphering the creatures that we can only imagine now, is the basis of thousands of research. Sometimes curiosity has surpassed the capacity of imagination and has even reached the cinematic science fiction that, with the help of technology, has recreated archaic life. But, it seems that we are at a scientific juncture where genetic modification is now possible, and scientists are raising the stakes. Now, a biogenetic company intends to revive the woolly mammoth and even has the funds to carry out its plan.
The plan to revive the woolly mammoth
Cloning became a viable fact decades ago. As a matter of fact, it has already been successfully achieved as a conservation tool for endangered species. However, this tool could be used beyond the limits of ethics and science as we know it by collecting DNA from bones and fossil remains of animals extinct millions of years ago. In this sense, geneticist George Church of Harvard Medical School aims to resurrect the woolly mammoth, which became extinct 4,000 years ago.
Church and his group of geneticists defend their initiative by arguing that bringing back the woolly mammoth could help restore the Arctic tundra. According to Church, this would help combat the climate crisis and preserve the Asian elephant, to which the mammoth is genetically related. While this may sound like a compelling argument in the name of caring for the planet, many factors remain up in the air.
Although the objective is not to clone the DNA collected from the remains of a woolly mammoth found in the Arctic permafrost. Rather, they intend to use genetic engineering to create a hybrid. The Asian elephant is, according to Church, the best candidate for this purpose, as it is closely related to the woolly mammoth. The research already has the financial backing of Ben Lamm, a technology entrepreneur who has donated 15 million dollars to revive the woolly mammoth.
Organ-donating pigs
Church has been involved in genetic engineering issues for years. He has succeeded using the CRISPR technique, which allows him to do a kind of gene editing to alter the characteristics of some species. His work has focused on the creation of genetically modified pigs so that they can donate organs compatible with humans. To achieve this, the geneticist had to make “many (genetic) changes, 42 so far to make them compatible with humans. And in that case, we have very healthy pigs that reproduce and donate organs for preclinical trials at Massachusetts General Hospital.”
So, although with the woolly mammoth the goal differs from the pig research, this technique would be used, and a similar number of genetic changes would have to be made to achieve it. After analyzing more than 23 living species of Asian elephants and woolly mammoths, Church and his team concluded that they will have to program “simultaneously more than 50 changes” in the genetic code of the chosen elephant. Thus, the latter will obtain the traits of the woolly mammoth that inhabited the Earth 4,000 years ago during the ice age.
What about ethics…?
Beyond the dazzling power humans have attained in genetic engineering, several questions must be raised before thinking of reviving the woolly mammoth with human hands. First of all, there is the ethical question; since genetic engineering is relatively new, there is no legislation limiting the use of its power. There are countries where there are some limitations on its use in humans (except for China). But the limit for animal experimentation is not clear. The question then arises as to whether it is ethical to modify life to such a degree, not only to resurrect extinct species but to create new variants and introduce them into the wild.
And lastly, before trying to justify such acts in the name of caring for the planet, we should first take action to conserve the species that are already fighting for their survival, which humanity has endangered. It is clear that there are other courses of action to curb climate change, and they are not precisely genetic modification.
Text and photos courtesy of Ecoosfera
Translated by María Isabel Carrasco Cara Chards
