De-Extinction: Jurassic

De-Extinction: Jurassic is a mobile application that allows users to explore the world of extinct and near-extinct creatures, including the dodo. The app was developed by the Austin-based conservation science company Colossal Biosciences and aims to inspire a greater sense of hope that humans can combat mass extinction.

However, a growing body of literature has criticized the use of the term de-extinction to describe any kind of resurrected species. In particular, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has published guidelines outlining de-extinction considerations and practice that emphasize that cloning a living species is not considered de-extinction because the result is a “proxy,” or replacement, for an extinct species rather than a faithful replica.

It is also important to note that while the reintroduction of species that went extinct in their wild habitats, such as the black-footed ferret, scimitar-horned oryx, and California condor, can be viewed as de-extinction by some, these efforts are more properly described as assisted recovery rather than de-extinction. This is because introducing the reintroduced species into wild habitats has not restored their genetic or behavioral diversity.

Another issue that has emerged is the fact that de-extinction is often portrayed as a hopeful story, which may inadvertently discourage people from engaging with conservation issues. Some research has even found that positive stories have a negative effect on environmental attitudes, and it is possible that the resurgence of the dodo, or any other de-extinct species, could actually make people less likely to care about ongoing extinctions because it gives the impression that we can reverse them once they’ve happened.