Were you worried about scientists bringing back the mammoth a few decades from now ? Well, don't ! Now you can worry about flocks of mutant passenger pigeons in just a few years instead.
“In the next three years the world may see the first genetic traits of the passenger pigeon revived in living, breathing birds,” said Novak. And if everything goes as planned, in the next two decades we’ll witness—for the first time—the revival of an extinct species. Dodo birds and woolly mammoths may follow. In time, extinction could be a thing of the past—for better or worse.
The astute reader will note that "genetic traits" and "the revival of an extinct species" are quite different things. That's because the particular method proposed raises very ugly philosophical questions about what "revival" really means.
Unlike Jurassic Park, scientists are not trying to completely revive an animal based solely on its DNA. Rather, the team is taking a find-and-replace approach: starting from your average scavenger pigeon on city streets, they plan to incorporate genes specific to passenger pigeons into modern-day cousins—the band-tail pigeon. By selectively breeding the gene-animals, the team hopes to concentrate the newly-incorporated genes in offspring, thus nudging these “living surrogates” toward passenger pigeons on a genetic level.
The advent of CRISPR changed everything. For the first time, Novak and team have access to a relatively simple and cheap gene editing tool that allows them to tinker with the common pigeon’s DNA... Novak’s team focused their efforts on making an entirely new line of pigeons, each harboring genetic material that allows for easier DNA editing.
With enough generations, we may have a curious, man-made species with DNA indistinguishable from the dead animals they are modeled after. Exactly when a hybrid animal becomes a passenger pigeon is a philosophical question that plagues all de-extinction movements.
(and yes, I spotted the error that the passenger pigeon has been extinct for a millennium, so don't bother pointing that out)
http://bit.ly/2RNaa6j
As I understand it, passenger pigeons are a flock-bound species. In the wild their behaviors and effects were as a flock, not as individual birds. Unless they plan to bring back a sufficient amount, perhaps millions or billions which can then be either taught (or discover/rediscover) or assimilate the fixed action pattern behaviors that were rooted in the species that roves the forests and did as carrier pigeons did at the the kinds of flock levels that existed when they were here by the billions, my guess is they will not be reintroduced without being something else, with a different ecological effect. They were adapted to living as a population.
ReplyDeleteThe depletion social species past a critical threshold (which varies by species) was (as I understand it) the reason they then declined to extinction terminating in 1914. I think reestablishing the behavior and by extension, ecological impact will be more difficult that cultivating a passenger pigeon-esque a hybrid bird.
I could be (and hope I am) wrong.
Wont work. Passenger Pigeons had low genetic diversity, and were evolved to live in massive flocks.
ReplyDeleteMy reading is that bringing them back in large numbers is exactly what they're trying to do :
ReplyDeleteThe CliffsNotes version: the birds evolved to adapt exquisitely to life in a large population. Although they might have been able to bounce back from low genetic diversity, human hunting drove the final nail into their coffin.
These studies together help inform the passenger pigeon comeback. Novak explained that according to these results, we first need to give band-tail pigeons the necessary mutations that will make them breed in the way that passenger pigeons did, to support them to live in high-social densities. Next we’ll have to give the birds the necessary adaptations to live in high densities efficiently, for example, traits that allow them to be more sensitive towards social cues or rapid juvenile growths, so they place less strain on parenting efforts at high numbers.
Rhys Taylor none of that makes any sense.
ReplyDeleteIf they don't have those genes, they aren't passenger pigeons.
Those are the very highly conserved genes which caused their low genetic diversity. This low genetic diversity was due to natural selection and gene conservation.
The wider scheme also makes no sense. Deforestation is still a thing.
Passenger Pigeons couldn't survive in smaller flocks. Thats why they died out. It was go big or go home for this species. If this was successful it would just create a highly vulnerable low genetic diverse species likely incompatible with industrial humans. They would compete with other species only to die out.
If they aren't passenger pigeons they might become invasive pests.
What a stupid idea. Can you imagine giant flocks of pigeons so thick over cities they block out the sun? Sounds like a Public Health Disaster in the making right there.
( Note: no less than 60 mins ago i read a genetic study on why the passenger pigeons went extinct. The niche they filled leads to a paradox of a very population and low genetic diversity )
sciworthy.com - Where Have All the Passenger Pigeons Gone?
ReplyDeleteThe main paper is written like a get rich quick scheme!
ReplyDeleteLots of silly vague claims , mostly PR buzzword s. All around Passenger Pigeons flocks destroying holes in the Forrest ( whod a thunk ?) a nd sh itting a lot. Two things humans do quite well thank you very much.
Now if we just dump animal waste near the "patchwork forrests" we create from fracking , we got this one covered.
As if the continent is still filled with overthick old growth forrests still that just need passenger pigeons to damage them into patchwork s ?
ReplyDelete*Lead scientists says:
" recently, almost a millennium after their man-driven extinction"
Could be ...Legit. Time Flies
"we finally understand the critical role they played in shaping the eastern North American ecosphere."
Orly?
#notTheOnion
Unlike Jurassic Park, scientists are not trying to completely revive an animal based solely on its DNA.
ReplyDeleteSo, exactly like in Jurassic Park, with pigeons and other pigeons instead of dinosaurs and frogs...