This blog may help people explore some of the 'hidden' issues involved in certain media treatments of environmental and scientific issues. Using personal digital images, it's also intended to emphasise seasonal (and other) changes in natural history of the Swansea (South Wales) area. The material should help participants in field-based modules and people generally interested in the natural world. The views are wholly those of the author.
Tuesday, 16 August 2022
Colossal Undertakings?
Texas-based Colossal describes itself as a 'de-extinction' company (https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/aug/16/de-extinction-scientists-are-planning-the-multimillion-dollar-resurrection-of-the-tasmanian-tiger). Colossal uses genetic engineering to 'recreate' notable extinct mammals. The company has announced its second major project. They have given a grant of $5m to Australia's Melbourne University, to bring back the Thylacine. The Thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) was a carnivorous marsupial, that became extinct in the 1930s. The last animal died in a zoo. The project aims to return the Thylacine to its native Tasmania. Colossal's first project was to attempt something similar for the Woolly mammoth, prior to returning the beast to the Arctic tundra. It all sounds very altruistic. It would clearly be much cheaper, however, to conserve existing animals and their habitats. One must note that the Arctic tundra has changed dramatically since the last Ice-Age. It seems likely that Colossal's money is derived from oil. A few multimillion dollar,'Jurassic Park'-style projects might then be a relatively cheap way of getting some positive publicity ('greenwash'?). Emissions associated with oil and gas, are major drivers of the current spate of global extinctions. Petrochemical companies currently make billions of dollars!
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