2024-01-15 23:00:00
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It is estimated that Every year between 17,000 and 35,000 species of plants, insects and other animals disappear. This worrying data, supported by ecologists and researchers related to conservation, shows a very stark reality, Species are disappearing about 1,000 times faster than before human expansion. Anthropogenic global change is a reality that, according to some studies, is leading the planet to a sixth mass extinction, the resurgence of diseases and the decrease in habitable land.
Currently, enormous amounts of resources are allocated to conservation of the environment and in trying to prevent these species from disappearing, but there is a group of scientists who have a different approach to trying to avoid the loss of biodiversity; the deextinction of species. Currently, researchers have managed to revive species of viruses, bacteria and fungi that were considered extinct. The reason? Prepare for the possible threats of the future.
De-extinguish microorganisms
The areas near the poles are the most susceptible to climate change. Its permanently frozen soils are beginning to suffer the consequences of the thaw, which brings all types of creatures out of a state of torpor. Bacteria, viruses, fungi and other organisms are reviving and consuming the organic matter present in the thawed soil. Upon returning to life, microbial activity generates greenhouse gases that disperse into the atmosphere and further accelerate warming. Furthermore, among microorganisms, there are potential pathogens that could affect wildlife or even humans.
For this reason, researchers carry out surveys at different depths to try to get an idea of which microorganisms are potentially dangerous and design prevention strategies. Fortunately, frozen organisms have never been in contact with modern antibiotics, so the probability that a frozen virus or bacteria will become a threat to humanity is low. Even so, just because it is low does not mean that it is null, which is why it is advisable stay on permanent guard.
Ancient microorganisms also suffered from selective pressure in their day, which caused them to adopt very different strategies to try to adapt and survive. Among these strategies is the antibiotic production and other compounds that reduced the proliferation of the bacteria with which they competed for the environment. Because the microorganisms were frozen for so long, it is possible that today’s resistant bacteria do not have defense mechanisms developed to combat these antibiotics of the past, so they could be used in the creation of new treatments.
How to de-extinguish a microorganism
Bringing a species back to life is a more or less complex process depending on the organism, how long ago it disappeared, and its closest living relatives. In microorganisms it is usually simple, since they are not usually “dead” as such, but are in a state of latency. That is They can usually be revived by recreating favorable conditions so that they can feed and reproduce again..
One of the most recent cases happened in early 2023, when the media covered a study with a very juicy headline. A research group from the Institute of Mediterranean Microbiology in Marseille had achieved revive 13 species of viruses, 7 of which were from the Siberian permafrost. The oldest of these viruses was 48,500 years old, and the youngest was 27,000. The words “Russian zombie virus” quickly spread, which set off many people’s alarm bells, probably due to the proximity to the recent pandemic.
The truth is the viruses that revived the computerThey can only infect amoebas, free-living unicellular organisms. As the conclusions of the study indicate, what is really worrying is that the viruses were capable of remaining frozen for so many thousands of years in the permafrost, because it could mean that there are frozen viruses with the capacity to infect mammalian cells.
Something similar happens with bacteria. In 2016, the heat wave that hit Russia thawed the remains of a deer infected with anthrax that had remained frozen for 75 years. The bacteria caused the hospitalization of at least 12 people and the death of a child, in addition to sickening thousands of deer. For this reason, thawing permafrost needs to be carefully analyzed.
How to deextinct larger organisms
Another piece of news from 2016 was also the result of research in the Russian steppe. There, a team of scientists managed to a nematode that is estimated to have been frozen 46,000 years to nourish and reproduce again. The worm, of the species Panagrolaimus kolymaenis he would have survived so long thanks to a condition called cryobiosis. This nematode feeds on bacteria, so it does not pose any danger, but its longevity is surprising.
Alexei V. Tchesunov and Anastasia Shatilovich / Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Science
P. kolymaenis seen under an electron microscope, the white bar measures 20 nanometers
Regarding other animals, there are very high-profile cases, such as that of lanudo mammoth (The original mammoth), the dodo (The hooded raphus), or the Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus). Currently there are companies interested in reviving these species to analyze their behavior and try to return them to their habitat. In the case of the Tasmanian tiger, it is believed that its presence as a top predator could profoundly transform Australian ecosystems. The researchers believe that they could find parallels between the de-extinction of this animal and the reintroduction of the wolf in Yellowstonewhere great environmental benefits were observed after a few years.
But there are still years until we see these animals alive again. According to what they say from Colossal biosciences, In 2027 the first woolly mammoth could be born extinct after thousands of years, although great advances have yet to be made in the field. Independent researchers, such as Seguéi Zimov, are already pointing to the creation of the “Pleistocene Park”, an idea to revive steppe megafauna that transforms Arctic ecosystems.
The only success story in mammals
At the moment, the only de-extinction that can be considered a partial success occurred in Spain. In the year 2000, Celia, the last bucardo specimen (Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica), a goat that lived in the Pyrenees died crushed by a falling tree. After her death, they took samples of the animal’s remains and a few years later, a group of Spanish and French researchers led by José Folch, tried to revive the species. To do this, they used cloning techniques that proved effective a few years ago with Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned from a somatic cell.
After cloning more than 750 embryos, they tried to implant 208 in 57 hybrid goats (mixes between domestic and wild goats). 7 goats managed to start gestating the bucardo, but only one embryo survived the 162 days of development until birthwhich was scheduled on July 30, 2003. Bucardo breeding born alivehe even tried to stir and stand up, but unfortunately A lung malformation caused him to drown before he was 10 minutes old.. Since then there has not been a live bucardo on the planet, although researchers want to try the procedure again with more modern techniques.
Joseph Wolf
Representation of a bucardo from the book ‘Wild oxen, sheep & goats of all lands, living and extinct’ (1898) by Richard Lydekker. Sketch by Joseph Wolf.
The deextinction of species is a very complex issue and there are complexes ethical debates about. Furthermore, the legal battles for both intellectual and physical property of de-extinct animals is an issue that rivals in interest with science itself after de-extinction. On one side, Its study could help answer many questions and help in the advancement of genetics. But on the other hand, should humans revive species that disappeared thousands of years ago? Is it sensible to return them to an environment so different from the one that led to their evolution and extinction? Opinions here are almost as varied as nature itself.
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