Inside the Quest to "Revive" Extinct Megafauna

The wooly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) is perhaps one of the most iconic extinct species of all time. Its name may invoke vivid sprawling landscapes of ice and snow dotted with hulking, shaggy beasts brandishing monstrous tusks. It can be described as one of many postmortem "charismatic megafauna," which is a species that gets attention due to its cultural significance and/or aesthetic appeal(think tigers or rhinos vs. ants or worms). Wooly Mammoths, along with the Tasmanian Tiger and other large mammals, have thus been the subject of a continued effort to bring extinct species back to roam the earth once again.

A black footed ferret, recently cloned to help to increase genetic diversity
in the dwindling population

The continued advancement of DNA editing technology and reproductive science has allowed for numerous developments in the attempt to "revive" extinct species. Researchers from the University of Melbourne have made numerous strides in attempting to revive the Tasmanian tiger, including widescale genome editing via Crispr and the synthesis of marsupial stem cells for the purpose of generating an embryo. 

These advancements such as these aren't only to bring a species back, but also to save them from extinction altogether. Scientists in Chile have successfully cloned a black-footed ferret, an endangered species in the Americas, in order to introduce more biodiversity into the small gene pool of existing members. These clones could be critical in preventing a single disease from wiping out most remaining ferrets. In Australia where bushfires regularly ravage the countryside scientists have been making an effort to collect tissue from all manners of animal to preserve in the case the area is razed. This would allow them to clone the individuals and repopulate the area with genetically similar animals so that the ecosystem can return to normal.   

Some have worried that the ability to just "undo" endangerment or extinct with science will be damaging to conservation efforts, but research still remains steadfast as these risks are far outweighed by the benefits of pursuing this line of study.

Sources:

https://www.science.org/content/article/conservation-first-cloned-ferret-could-help-save-her-species

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230113-how-extinct-animals-could-be-brought-back-from-the-dead