Spokane89
Spokane89 t1_jebeqz2 wrote
Reply to comment by aspacelot in ELI5 Why haven't scientists cloned extinct animals such as the dodo, the Caspian tiger, etc.? by LesChatsVerts
I'm not super well versed in biology or cloning to confidently answer this question
Spokane89 t1_jeben20 wrote
Reply to comment by bikinibikes in ELI5 Why haven't scientists cloned extinct animals such as the dodo, the Caspian tiger, etc.? by LesChatsVerts
A lot of pelts are treated with things like arsenic or mercury which really fucks up DNA. They have been able to get samples off pelts, they did with tasmanian devils a few years back, but I'm not sure how viable that in regards to cloning.
Spokane89 t1_jebbudp wrote
Reply to ELI5 Why haven't scientists cloned extinct animals such as the dodo, the Caspian tiger, etc.? by LesChatsVerts
Two reasons: 1) cloning is more or less illegal 2) they need good DNA samples to try and clone from and folks wiping species from existence weren't really in the habit of preserving remains
Spokane89 t1_jebfjsa wrote
Reply to comment by blindspot189 in ELI5 Why haven't scientists cloned extinct animals such as the dodo, the Caspian tiger, etc.? by LesChatsVerts
It's down to states rights currently in the USA, and funding is hard to get generally afaik