Resurrection Biology: How to Bring Animals Back From Extinction

What was a remarkable discovery about the woolly mammoth carcass found in Siberia in 2013?

• It was still alive and breathing.

• It had fresh red muscle tissue and liquid blood.

• It was made entirely of solid ice.

• It was a previously unknown species of mammoth.

What is the scientific term for the concept of bringing extinct species back to life?

• Evolutionary reversal

• Genetic engineering

• De-extinction

• Species revival

Why is it currently impossible to bring dinosaurs back to life through cloning?

• Dinosaurs were too large to clone.

• Their DNA has degraded too much over time.

• There are no suitable surrogate mothers for dinosaurs.

• Scientists lack the technology to find dinosaur fossils.

Which of the following is NOT one of the three possible methods for resurrecting a vanished species?

• Cloning

• Genetic reconstruction

• Natural selection

• Backbreeding

When scientists use genetic engineering to bring back an extinct species, what is an important first step?

• Finding a new habitat for the species.

• Comparing the extinct species' DNA to a related living species.

• Immediately creating egg and sperm cells.

• Teaching the new animals how to survive in the wild.

What is the main idea behind "backbreeding" to bring back an extinct animal like the Aurochs?

• To clone the extinct animal directly from preserved cells.

• To selectively breed living relatives to bring out old, ancestral traits.

• To create a completely new species that looks similar to the extinct one.

• To train existing animals to act like the extinct species.

One concern about bringing back extinct species through cloning is the potential for poor genetic variation. What does this mean for the new population?

• The animals might be too large for their environment.

• They might be more vulnerable to diseases and less able to adapt.

• They would not be able to reproduce at all.

• They would look very different from the original extinct species.

Besides being "cool," what is one potential environmental benefit of bringing back woolly mammoths to the Arctic?

• They could help other animals find food more easily.

• They might help maintain the permafrost layer, which prevents methane release.

• They would create new forests by planting seeds.

• They could help clean up pollution in the Arctic waters.