While it would be quite a sight to see extinct animals like the woolly mammoth again walking the earth, bringing back species from beyond the grasp of extinction — as number of researchers and bloggers have been discussing lately — may not be the best use of such innovations, Scientific American says.
"De-extinction" techniques may be better applied to increase the genetic diversity of species on the verge of extinction. "For example, extinct versions of genes could be reintroduced into species and subspecies that have lost a dangerous amount of genetic diversity, such as the black-footed ferret and the northern white rhino," Scientific American says. "Such investigations, however, should be conducted under the mantle of preserving modern biodiversity rather than conjuring extinct species from the grave."