In April 2013 the National Geographic magazine carried the cover title ‘Reviving extinct species, we can, but should we?’ suggesting that the technical challenges had been met, but some ethical concerns remained unresolved. Seven years later it is clear that this is not the case. Here we consider the technical scope, the uncertainties, and some of the bioethical issues raised by the future prospect of de-extinction. Biodiversity and welfare will not always align, and when a clash is unavoidable, a trade-off will be necessary, seeking the greatest overall value. De-extinction challenges our current conservation mind-set that seeks to preserve the species and population diversity that currently exists. But if we want to sustain and enhance a biodiverse natural world we might have to be forward looking and embrace the notion of bio-novelty by focussing more on ecosystem stability and resilience, rather than backward looking and seeking to try and recreate lost worlds.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
November 2019
-
Cover Image
Cover Image
This issue's cover features a collection of images to showcase the breadth of topics which raise bioethical questions, many of which are covered in this issue. Image credits (clockwise from top left): andriano. cz/Shutterstock.com; David Parry/PA Wire https://culturedbeef.org/; Peterson and Owen (pages 707–711); Gleadow et al. (pages 723–729).
Perspective|
October 11 2019
Creating proxies of extinct species: the bioethics of de-extinction Available to Purchase
Philip J. Seddon
;
1Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
Correspondence: Philip J. Seddon ([email protected])
Search for other works by this author on:
Mike King
Mike King
2Bioethics Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
July 22 2019
Revision Received:
September 13 2019
Accepted:
September 16 2019
Online ISSN: 2397-8562
Print ISSN: 2397-8554
© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society and the Royal Society of Biology
2019
Emerg Top Life Sci (2019) 3 (6): 731–735.
Article history
Received:
July 22 2019
Revision Received:
September 13 2019
Accepted:
September 16 2019
Citation
Philip J. Seddon, Mike King; Creating proxies of extinct species: the bioethics of de-extinction. Emerg Top Life Sci 27 November 2019; 3 (6): 731–735. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/ETLS20190109
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.