We Can Bring Species Back—Should We?

9 Extinct Species
Ripe for Resurrection

See lost beasts that science could revive—Tasmanian tiger, mammoth, and more.

The revival of an extinct species is no longer a fantasy.
But is it a good idea?

By Carl Zimmer
Photograph by Robb Kendrick

-> Return of the Neanderthals
Should scientists seek to clone our ancient hominid cousins?
Virginia Hughes for National Geographic News Published March 6, 2013

For now, the Neanderthal genome is an abstract string of billions of DNA letters stored in computer databases. But it naturally sparks the imagination: Could scientists use that genetic blueprint to create neo-Neanderthals in the flesh?

In the not-so-distant future, advances in genetic engineering might enable that feat, experts say. But whether such a resurrection should happen is another story.

Video: Recipe for Resurrection