Scientists want to bring 24 animals back from extinction (Dodos make the list... but dinosaur DNA is so old, Jurassic Park isn't an option)

Species include dodo, the Carolina Parakeet, and the Quagga, a plains zebra

The process is called 'de-extinction' and poses a number of ethical questions

10 years ago teams brought back extinct wild goat - it lived for 10 minutes



Scientists have met to discuss the possibility of bringing back 24 animals back from extinction.

But a real life Jurassic Park is not an option, it is said, because dinosaur DNA is just too old.

The so called 'de-extinction' of a number of species was discussed at a TEDx conference in Washington DC sponsored by National Geographic.

In 2013, a group of scientists discussed the possibility of bringing 24 animals back from extinction, also known as 'de-extinction'. For example, the dodo (pictured) evolved without any natural predators, but it was forced into extinction by humans who killed them all for food

Another animal considered for 'de-extinction' at the recent conference was the Quagga - a species of plains Zebra that once lived in South Africa. The last wild one was shot in 1870 and the last in captivity died in 1883

They included the dodo bird, the Carolina Parakeet, last seen in 1904 in Florida, and the Quagga, a plains zebra which once lived in South Africa.



The last wild one was shot in 1870 and the last in captivity died in 1883, the Journal reports.



The teams chose the animals using a number of criteria, and discussed the ethics of bringing them back to life.



They discussed whether the species were desirable, if they held an important ecological function or if they were beloved by humans.

They also discussed if they were practical choices, and if there would be access to tissue with good quality DNA samples or germ cells in order to reproduce the species.



They also considered whether they are actually able to be reintroduced into the world and what the reasons for extinction were in the first place.



This month’s National Geographic explains how de-extinction works - by taking old DNA samples and reassembling them into a full genome.

This is then injected into embryonic cells which have had their own DNA taken out, and a suitable living surrogate is found to give birth.

The docile, flightless moa stood 12ft high. They died out because of over hunting by the Maori

The woolly mammoth (stock image) is related to the elephant. The creatures lived on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean until 4,000 years ago. They also co-existed with early humans who hunted them for food

According to the Washington Post, ten years ago, a team of scientists from France and Spain brought back an extinct wild goat – but it only lived for 10 minutes.

De-extinction does however raise a number of ethical and logistical questions, including how scientists can get a usable DNA sample from an extinct animal, and also whether they should.

The Ivory Billed Woodpecker was last seen in the southeastern United states, but there hasn't been a confirmed sighting of the bird since the 1940s

The Thylacine, or Tasmanian Tiger, is the only marsupial to make the list. It lived in Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea until the 1960s

But dinosaur DNA has long ago degraded, so researchers say they are fairly sure that a real life Jurassic Park will never happen

REAL LIFE JURASSIC PARK 'NOT AN OPTION', SCIENTISTS SAY

In the hit 1993 film, Richard Attenborough hires scientists who use dinosaur DNA taken from a mosquito preserved in amber to clone the animals and create a theme park. The resulting chaos showed that man and dinosaur should not co-exist.

Last year a controversial Australian billionaire was believed to be drawing up secret plans for a real life Jurassic Park. Mining magnate Clive Palmer, who has already embarked on a project to rebuild the Titanic, was rumoured to be working with the team who created Dolly the sheep.

It was said the park would be based at Palmer's super resort in Coolum. But the research has shown the dinosaurs may have to stay on the big screen - as their DNA is just too old to be able to use for de-extinction.



The cost of de-extinction varies by species but it is believed could run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.



It comes after scientists used cloning technology to attempt to bring back a frog from extinction by implanting a 'dead' cell nucleus into a fresh egg from another frog species.



The resulting embryos lived for just a few days.

But the groundbreaking research by the Lazarus Project has brought the 'de-extinction' of creatures like woolly mammoths to the forefront of scientific discussion.



In repeated experiments over five years, the researchers used a laboratory technique known as somatic cell nuclear transfer.

Using a method similar to that imagined in the blockbuster Jurassic Park, they took fresh eggs from the distantly related Great Barred Frog, deactivated their nuclei and replaced them with genes from the extinct frog.

Some of the eggs spontaneously began to divide and grow to early embryo stage – a tiny ball of many living cells from a creature extinct for 30 years.

Although none of the embryos survived beyond a few days, genetic tests confirmed that the dividing cells contain the genetic material from the extinct frog.









