Extinct ibex is resurrected by cloning

Re:Extinct ibex is resurrected by cloning by vaksel on Saturday January 31, 2009 @11:12PM (#460504)

why do people care so much about species going extinct? Millions of species have gone extinct before....millions of species will go extinct again. Its the cycle of life.

I mean sure its pretty horrible that a whole species goes extinct...but why does it matter if there are 300 species of goat or 299.

For every species that goes extinct, another 2 spring up to take its place. Adapt or die. Why should we coddle the inferior species? Let the nature take its course. Remember, if the dinosaurs didn't go extinct, man wouldn't have survived.

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Re:Extinct ibex is resurrected by cloning by Raphael on Sunday February 01, 2009 @12:54AM (#460586)

It's cool to keep a few around for novelty purposes. Also, if it seems humans are responsible, it is a source of guilt. Although, there is the trend of caring about some species over others, hence campaigns such as "sea kittens".

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Re:Extinct ibex is resurrected by cloning by dmm on Sunday February 01, 2009 @07:36AM (#460819)

Biological diversity is important to the quality of human life. For example many would say that many amphibian species are endangered and nearing extinction. In many areas amphibians are extremely important predators of insects.

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Re:Extinct ibex is resurrected by cloning by mattmaroon on Sunday February 01, 2009 @11:07AM (#460952)

Species didn't used to go extinct the way they do now. Also, new ones don't spring up anymore. We've fundamentally destroyed the natural process by drastically altering every single ecosystem out there.

The reason to care is that we could, very easily, be left with nothing but rats and pigeons if we don't.

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Re:Extinct ibex is resurrected by cloning by gravitycop on Sunday February 01, 2009 @11:32AM (#460974)

The reason to care [about species extinction] is that we could, very easily, be left with nothing but rats and pigeons

http://www.juliansimon.com/writings/Ultimate_Resource/TCHAR2...

We ought also consider the species of animals whose numbers are increased when the human population increases - chickens, goats, cattle, minks, dogs, cats, laboratory white mice, and canaries.

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Re:Extinct ibex is resurrected by cloning by mattmaroon on Sunday February 01, 2009 @01:04PM (#461087)

I'm sure it would make the aurochs feel better to know that after we slaughtered it into extinction, we kept the domesticated version around to live in tiny pens and provide us milk and/or beef until we slaughter them too. And wolves will be happy to know their domesticated brethren are in humane shelters everywhere after we gun the last one down from a helicopter.

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Re:Extinct ibex is resurrected by cloning by gravitycop on Sunday February 01, 2009 @01:34PM (#461126)

we slaughtered [the aurochs] into extinction

Humans also created a similar replacement: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heck_Cattle#Controversy

Heck cattle are considered by some the most suitable cattle breed for low intensity grazing systems in certain types of nature reserves, due to their ruggedness and lack of need for human care. Heck cattle today are propagated in some places to fulfill the role of extinct megafauna in the ecosystem.

A replacement was also created for the extinct tarpan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heck_horse

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Re:Extinct ibex is resurrected by cloning by mattmaroon on Sunday February 01, 2009 @02:51PM (#461229)

It's a replacement from the standpoint of humans who want meat and/or labor. From an ecological standpoint, our attempts to create replacements often fail miserably.

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Re:Extinct ibex is resurrected by cloning by gravitycop on Sunday February 01, 2009 @03:07PM (#461257)

From an ecological standpoint, our attempts to create replacements often fail miserably.

Source? What is an ecological standpoint?

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