Revived Species of frog

            In Emily Anthes’ book Frankenstein's Cat: Cuddling up to Biotech's Brave New Beasts, several topics involving animals are addressed. These range from modifying the genes of an animal to finding ways to use them in order to spy on others.  A particularly interesting topic is cloning.  Specifically, using cloning to resurrect extinct species.  Anthes talks about the fact that cloning can be used to ensure that animals can be resurrected if they go extinct. She references information that she has learned stating, “…what we really need to do is store cells from animals that are not endangered, preserving their DNA for the future,” (Anthes 94).  By doing this, it ensures that if a species goes extinct, it might not be gone forever.

            Unfortunately, the process of resurrecting extinct animals is not yet complete.  The best that scientists had accomplished according to Anthes was the cloning of the last remaining Pyrenean ibex, a Spanish mountain goat (Anthes 95). When the goat died, an attempt was made to clone it.  The baby that was resulted died shortly after its birth.  

 

           

            However, according to an article by Popular Science published earlier this year, Scientists Resurrect Bonkers Extinct Frog That Gives Birth Through Its Mouth, another attempt at species resurrection was made.  The gastric-brooding frog was a species of frog that stored eggs in its stomach until they hatched.  Unfortunately, it went extinct in 1983 (Nosowitz). Luckily some specimens were stored in a freezer and later used in a form of cloning called somatic-cell nuclear transfer.  After this process was used, the eggs began to divide and form into the early embryo stage (Nosowitz). While the embryos did not survive for long, it is a step in the right direction towards reviving species that are extinct.  Anthes points out in her book that cloning could be used to maintain species that are in captivity after the destruction of their habitats as well as several other possibilities (Anthes 99).  If it becomes possible to revive a species, that could be taken one step further, being able to completely start over and have another chance after the species has gone extinct.

 

References

Anthes, E. (2013). Nine Lives. Frankenstein's Cat Cuddling Up to Biotech's Brave New

Beasts (pp. 80-101). New York City: Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Nosowitz, D. (2013, March 15). Scientists Resurrect Bonkers Extinct Frog That Gives Birth Through Its Mouth | Popular Science. Popular Science | New Technology, Science News, The Future Now. Retrieved October 11, 2013, from http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-03/scientists-resurrect-bonkers-extinct-frog-gives-birth-through-its-mouth