Dumbacher: WHEN A SPECIES
GOES EXTINCT, THAT'S THE END. Narrator: OR IS IT? SCIENTISTS ARE TRYING
TO BRING BACK EXTINCT SPECIES, EVERYTHING FROM
THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH TO WHAT WAS ONCE THE MOST
ABUNDANT BIRD IN THE WORLD. Novak: IF WE DO THAT JUST RIGHT, THEY LAY AN EGG, AND OUT HATCHES
A PASSENGER PIGEON. [ GUNSHOT ]
Narrator: BRINGING SPECIES BACK MIGHT BE A WAY
TO CORRECT PAST MISTAKES. BUT JUST BECAUSE WE CAN,
SHOULD WE? COMING UP ON "QUEST" --
REAWAKENING EXTINCT SPECIES. Announcer: SUPPORT FOR
"KQED SCIENCE" IS PROVIDED BY... SUPPORT IS ALSO PROVIDED
BY THE MEMBERS OF KQED. [ FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING ] Novak:
I NEVER WORE BOOTS GROWING UP. I WAS FROM NORTH DAKOTA --
COWBOY COUNTRY -- BUT I NEVER WORE THEM. SO, THESE ARE
MY GRANDFATHER'S BOOTS. WHEN HE PASSED AWAY,
IT TURNED OUT THAT I WAS THE ONLY ONE
IN THE FAMILY WHO WAS
THE EXACT SAME SIZE HE IS. SO I TOOK HIS BOOTS, AND I'VE BEEN WEARING THEM
EVER SINCE. THE FIRST PIGEON I EVER RAISED WAS GIVEN TO ME
BY MY GRANDFATHER. HE ABSOLUTELY LOVED THEM. AND I'M PRETTY SURE THAT'S WHY I ENDED UP LOVING BIRDS,
AS WELL. Narrator: AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ, 27-YEAR-OLD BEN NOVAK IS ONE OF ABOUT
A DOZEN SCIENTISTS WORLDWIDE WORKING IN THE NEW FIELD
OF DE-EXTINCTION. THEIR GOAL IS TO DO SOMETHING THAT MAY SOUND
LIKE SCIENCE FICTION -- BRING BACK SPECIES THAT HAVE
DISAPPEARED FROM THE PLANET. NOVAK IS WORKING TO DE-EXTINCT
THE PASSENGER PIGEON. AMONG THE WORLD'S
300 PIGEONS AND DOVES, IT STOOD OUT FOR BEING ELEGANT,
FAST, AND THE MOST ABUNDANT BIRD
IN THE WORLD. Novak: WELL, I FIRST DISCOVERED
THE PASSENGER PIGEON IN A BOOKSTORE. I WAS A NAIVE,
JUNIOR-HIGH STUDENT. I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE BIRD
JUST FROM SEEING IT -- THE BLUE, THE RED,
THE FANNED TAIL, AND THOSE SWIFT WINGS. IN THE EARLY 1800s, THERE WERE
5 BILLION OF THESE BIRDS JUST IN THE UNITED STATES. WITHIN THE SPAN OF ABOUT
50 YEARS, THEY GO EXTINCT. THIS AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL BIRD THAT I'VE JUST FALLEN
IN LOVE WITH IS EXTINCT, SO I CAN'T SEE THEM. AND THERE'S THIS ABSOLUTE SCALE
TO ITS POPULATION THAT I CAN'T EVEN WRAP
MY HEAD AROUND. THAT SEALED THE DEAL FOR ME. I WAS A PASSENGER-PIGEON
ENTHUSIAST, AND I WILL BE
UNTIL THE DAY I DIE. EVEN THOUGH 20 YEARS AGO, THE CONCEPT OF RE-CREATING
AN EXTINCT ORGANISM WAS COMPLETE SCIENCE FICTION, WE NOW HAVE THE BUILDING BLOCKS
OF SCIENCE TO DO THIS. -Sarah: BE RIGHT BACK.
-Ian: SARAH, NO! NO! Narrator: THE HUMAN DESIRE TO COME FACE-TO-FACE WITH
LONG-GONE ANIMALS ISN'T NEW. Sarah: ROBERT BURKE SAID
THAT THE T-REX WAS A ROGUE WHO WOULD ABANDON ITS YOUNG
AT THE EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY. I KNOW I CAN PROVE OTHERWISE. Narrator: IN THE 1993
BLOCKBUSTER "JURASSIC PARK" AND ITS SEQUEL, "LOST WORLD," SCIENTISTS VENTURE
ONTO A TROPICAL ISLAND TO GET A CLOSEUP LOOK
AT CLONED DINOSAURS. THE MOVIES PORTRAYED THEM
WITH GRIPPING REALISM. BUT 65 MILLION YEARS
AFTER THEIR EXTINCTION, THERE'S NO CHANCE
THEY'RE COMING BACK. Shapiro: "JURASSIC PARK"
IS A FANTASY AND ALWAYS WILL BE. DINOSAURS ARE WAY TOO OLD TO THINK
THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO RECOVER GENETIC MATERIAL. Narrator: BECAUSE DNA ONLY LASTS
ABOUT 100,000 YEARS, SCIENTISTS ARE NOW FOCUSING ON SPECIES THAT DISAPPEARED
WITHIN THAT TIME FRAME. AND THEY'RE TRYING DIFFERENT
APPROACHES TO BRING THEM BACK. SCIENTISTS HAVE ALREADY REVIVED
ONE EXTINCT ANIMAL. THE LAST
OF A TYPE OF MOUNTAIN GOAT WAS CLONED IN SPAIN IN 2003 FROM A SKIN SAMPLE TAKEN
WHILE SHE WAS STILL ALIVE. HER CLONE ONLY LIVED
A FEW MINUTES, AND RESEARCHERS REPEATED
THEIR ATTEMPTS IN 2014. IN AUSTRALIA, SCIENTISTS
ARE ATTEMPTING TO CLONE A UNIQUE FROG THAT GAVE BIRTH
THROUGH ITS MOUTH, AND THE TASMANIAN TIGER, A CARNIVORE THAT CARRIED
ITS YOUNG IN A POUCH. AND IN THE NETHERLANDS, RESEARCHERS ARE BREEDING CATTLE
TO CLOSELY RESEMBLE THE AUROCHS, THE ANCESTORS
OF ALL MODERN COWS AND BULLS. Phelan: AND THEN THERE'S GROUPS
LIKE US, AT REVIVE & RESTORE, THINKING ABOUT BRINGING BACK
THE PASSENGER PIGEON, AND THAT'S GONNA BE
KIND OF A NEW TERRAIN, WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA BE
USING GENOME ENGINEERING. Narrator:
THE NONPROFIT GROUP'S IDEA IS TO TAKE
ITS CLOSEST LIVING RELATIVE, THE BAND-TAILED PIGEON, AND GENETICALLY ENGINEER IT
INTO A PASSENGER PIGEON. Woman:
WE HAVE FOUR IN THE COLLECTION. THESE ARE THE TWO THAT LOOK THE BEST
OF THE ONES THAT WE'VE GOT. AND WE THOUGHT A MALE AND
A FEMALE WOULD BE APPROPRIATE. Novak: I HAD NO IDEA
THAT OAKLAND HAD ANY, SO I WAS REALLY EXCITED TO LEARN ABOUT PIGEONS
THAT I HADN'T HEARD ABOUT YET, BECAUSE I WANT TO SEE THEM ALL. THAT'S THE GOAL. TODAY MAKES NUMBER 338
AND NUMBER 339 THAT I HAVE SEEN. YOU HAVE THIS BEAUTIFUL, LONG,
DOVE-SHAPED TAIL, THESE VERY SWIFT WINGS, VERY POINTED,
VERY NARROW FOR SPEED. IN THE 1800s,
PEOPLE ARE REPORTING THEM TO MAYBE HAVE BEEN FLYING
AT AROUND 60 MILES PER HOUR. Woman: OH, MY GOSH. Narrator: NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH DOMESTICATED
CARRIER PIGEONS, PASSENGER PIGEONS
WERE WILD BIRDS THAT MIGRATED THROUGH THE EASTERN
AND CENTRAL U.S. AND CANADA. THEY TRAVELED BY THE MILLIONS,
SWALLOWING ACORNS WHOLE AND DESTROYING TREES
UNDER THEIR WEIGHT. NATURALIST JOHN JAMES AUDUBON
ONCE WROTE THAT THEIR FLOCKS OBSCURED
THE SUN LIKE AN ECLIPSE. Alvarez:
THERE IS NO PIGEON TODAY THAT FLIES IN FLOCKS LIKE
THE PASSENGER PIGEON USED TO. STORIES SAY SOMETIMES
THEY'D BE TWO MILES WIDE BY FIVE, SIX MILES LONG. Novak: YOU HAD
THESE GIANT FLOCKS OF BIRDS, SO DENSE
THAT WITH A SINGLE SHOT, YOU COULD TAKE DOWN
DOZENS OF THEM, OR YOU COULD LURE THEM
INTO AN AREA AND NET THEM. [ GUNSHOTS ] Narrator:
SHIPPED BY THE TRAINLOADS TO FEED HUNGRY CITIES, THE PASSENGER PIGEON
WENT EXTINCT IN THE WILD IN THE LATE 1800s. THE FEW BIRDS IN CAPTIVITY
SLOWLY DIED OUT, UNTIL ONLY ONE --
NAMED MARTHA -- WAS LEFT AT THE CINCINNATI ZOO. HER DEATH IN 1914 MEANT
THE END OF THE PASSENGER PIGEON. Brand: THAT A HUGE POPULATION
COULD JUST GO TO ZERO, THAT WAS THE BEGINNING
OF TAKING EXTINCTION SERIOUSLY. AND SO, TO GO BACK TO THAT
ORIGINAL MISTAKE OR CRIME AND TRY TO UNDO IT, THERE MIGHT
BE SOME REDEMPTION IN THAT. SEVEN, SIX... Narrator: STEWART BRAND HAS BEEN CALLING THE PUBLIC'S ATTENTION
TO THE ENVIRONMENT SINCE THE 1960s. Brand: LET'S GO! Narrator:
HIS "WHOLE EARTH CATALOG" TAUGHT A GENERATION EVERYTHING
FROM GROWING FOOD TO BUILDING
THEIR OWN WIND TURBINES. Brand: IT WAS A COUNTERCULTURE
IN LOVE WITH HIGH-TECH AND BECAME PART OF WHAT'S CALLED THE MODERN
ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT, WHICH HAS NOW BECOME
A BIT ANTIQUATED, IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, BECAUSE IT DID NOT
EMBRACE TECHNOLOGY, I THINK, THE WAY IT SHOULD HAVE,
ESPECIALLY BIO-TECHNOLOGY. DO YOU WANT
EXTINCT SPECIES BACK? DO YOU WANT
EXTINCT SPECIES BACK? [ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ] Patton: THAT, TO ME,
IS THE WRONG ATTITUDE. WE'RE LOST UNLESS WE REALIZE THAT WE'RE JUST A PART
OF THIS INTRICATE WEB. AND WE OUGHT
TO BRING SPECIES BACK IF THEY CAN HELP MAINTAIN
THAT WEB, BUT NOT BECAUSE
IT MAKES US FEEL BETTER AND SLEEP BETTER AT NIGHT. Narrator: THE ENTERPRISE
OF REVIVING DISAPPEARED SPECIES IS DRIVEN AT LEAST IN PART BY
THE INCREASING EXTINCTION RATE THAT SCIENTISTS HAVE OBSERVED
IN THE PAST 500 YEARS. Dumbacher: THIS CASE CONTAINS SOME OF THE MOST VALUABLE
SPECIMENS IN OUR COLLECTION. THERE ARE ACTUALLY
ONLY TWO KEYS TO THIS CASE. I HAVE ONE, AND THE COLLECTION
MANAGER HAS THE OTHER. HERE ARE THE CAROLINA PARAKEETS. AND THEY WERE QUITE COMMON
IN THE 1800s AND WERE PROBABLY DRIVEN EXTINCT
LARGELY BY HUNTING, 'CAUSE THEY DID AFFECT FARMERS
AND CROPS. BECAUSE THEY WERE GREGARIOUS,
LIKE MANY PARROTS ARE, THEY WOULD SHOOT ONE,
THE OTHERS WOULD CONTINUE TO FLOCK AROUND
THAT ONE FALLEN BROTHER, AND THEY COULD PICK OFF
THE OTHER ONES. THIS ONE IS THE MOHO. THE KINGS IN HAWAII WOULD USE THIS LITTLE BIT
OF YELLOW IN THEIR CAPES. THESE ARE
OUR IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKERS. AND THEY WERE
IN THE NEWS A LOT RECENTLY BECAUSE THERE WAS A POPULATION
BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THE BIG WOODS OF ARKANSAS. AND THEY HAD HOPED THAT SOME FEATHERS THAT
THEY HAD FOUND IN THE FIELD MIGHT HAVE COME FROM
IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKERS. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY ALL TURNED
OUT TO BE OTHER SPECIES. WHEN A SPECIES GOES EXTINCT,
THAT'S THE END. THOSE GENES ARE GONE. THAT JOB IN THE ECOSYSTEM
IS GONE. THAT NICHE DISAPPEARS. SO THERE'S NOTHING LEFT
TO SERVE THAT PURPOSE. HUMANS ARE THE REASON WHY SPECIES ARE GOING EXTINCT
AT A HIGHER RATE. HUMAN POPULATION SIZES
ARE SO BIG THAT WE'RE HAVING A HUGE IMPACT, DESTROYING HABITAT
AND CONVERTING HABITAT FROM ITS NATURAL FORM
INTO AGRICULTURE, TO CITIES, TO OTHER THINGS THAT WE USE. Narrator: CLIMATE CHANGE
IS MAKING THINGS WORSE, BY TURNING THE OCEANS
INHOSPITABLE TO CORAL REEFS, FOR EXAMPLE. SOME SCIENTISTS ESTIMATE THAT IF TEMPERATURES CONTINUE
TO CLIMB, THEY COULD CONTRIBUTE
TO THE DISAPPEARANCE OF HALF THE WORLD'S SPECIES. Dumbacher: TO THE EXTENT THAT WE WANT TO PRESERVE
ANYTHING THAT WE LOVE, YOU HAVE TO WORK AT THAT. AND IF DE-EXTINCTION
IS A PART OF THAT, I THINK IT'S A WONDERFUL TOOL
TO HAVE IN YOUR TOOLBOX. IF YOU'VE GOT SOME ECOSYSTEM
THAT WE KNOW IS COLLAPSING BECAUSE WE'VE LOST
SOME KEY ECOSYSTEM COMPONENT, AND WE CAN DE-EXTINCT IT,
WHY WOULDN'T WE DO THAT? Patton: I WOULD PUT MY EMPHASIS
ON MAINTAINING WHAT WE HAVE AND PREVENTING
FURTHER EXTINCTIONS. IF WE HAVE THESE TECHNOLOGIES, AND THESE TECHNOLOGIES
CAN BE BROUGHT TO BEAR TO HELP PRESERVE
WHAT IS ALREADY HERE, THAT'S WHERE I WOULD PUT
MY RESOURCES. -Phelan: HEY, BEN.
-Novak: HEY. -Phelan: HOW YOU DOING?
-Novak: GOOD. DOING GOOD. Phelan: DID YOU GET
A CUP OF COFFEE YET? BEN NOVAK WROTE US A VERY
ENDEARING LETTER THAT JUST SAID, YOU KNOW,
"SINCE THE TIME I WAS 13, I'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO
EXACTLY THIS," YOU KNOW? AND STEWART AND I LOOKED
AT EACH OTHER AND SAID, "HOW CAN WE NOT HIRE THIS GUY?" Brand: YOU SEEN THIS COOL THING? Novak:
WELL, ACCORDING TO AMAZON, IT'S NOT PUBLISHED YET. Narrator: RYAN PHELAN AND
STEWART BRAND'S NONPROFIT, REVIVE & RESTORE,
IN SAUSALITO, CALIFORNIA, IS PAYING FOR NOVAK TO WORK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
SANTA CRUZ. THEY ESTIMATE
IT'LL TAKE $5 TO $50 MILLION TO BRING BACK
THE PASSENGER PIGEON. Phelan: ONE QUESTION THAT HAS
COME UP FROM A POTENTIAL FUNDER, WHO ACTUALLY TALKED WITH STEWART
AND I AND SAID, YOU KNOW, "IF WE WERE TO PUT IN
A SIX-FIGURE NUMBER," YOU KNOW, "HOW COULD IT HELP
FAST-TRACK WHAT YOU'RE DOING?" Brand: SAY IT'S $100,000.
WHAT COULD $100,000 DO FOR US? Novak: WELL,
I THINK $100,000 CAN EASILY DO MORE THAN ONE
COMPARATIVE GENOMICS STUDY. Brand: WHERE THE MONEY TENDS
TO BE COMING IN IS NOT FROM
TRADITIONAL CONSERVATION DONORS, BUT FROM PEOPLE IN HIGH-TECH. THEY LIKE BEING ON
CUTTING EDGES, AND THIS IS ONE. Narrator:
PHELAN, WHO IS MARRIED TO BRAND, KNOWS ABOUT BEING
ON THE CUTTING EDGE. SHE HELPED PIONEER PERSONAL
GENETIC TESTING OVER THE WEB WITH HER COMPANY DNA DIRECT,
WHICH SHE SOLD IN 2010. Phelan: I'VE SEEN THE POWER OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES
IN HUMAN HEALTH. YOU WOULDN'T WANT
TO HAVE CANCER TODAY AND NOT KNOW THAT YOUR TUMOR
HAS BEEN SEQUENCED. I BELIEVE THAT THAT WILL HAPPEN
EXACTLY WITH CONSERVATION. Narrator: PHELAN AND BRAND
HAVE ENLISTED GEORGE CHURCH, ONE OF THE PIONEERS
OF GENOME EDITING. George:
THE SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGHS THAT ARE MAKING THIS
DE-EXTINCTION EVEN PLAUSIBLE AND NOW QUITE REASONABLE,
ARE TWO. ONE IS OUR ABILITY
TO READ ANCIENT DNA, AND THE SECOND IS OUR ABILITY TO CHANGE THE GENOMES
OF BIRDS AND MAMMALS. Narrator: TO BRING BACK
THE PASSENGER PIGEON, SCIENTISTS WILL GENETICALLY
ENGINEER ITS CLOSEST RELATIVE, WHICH TURNS OUT TO BE
A PIGEON FROM THE WEST COAST. IN RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, SAL ALVAREZ IS ONE OF THE FEW
BREEDERS IN THE COUNTRY WHO RAISES
THE BAND-TAILED PIGEON. TO TURN IT
INTO A PASSENGER PIGEON, RESEARCHERS WILL HAVE TO MAKE ITS SQUARE TAIL AND ITS WINGS
MORE AERODYNAMIC. THE BAND UNDER ITS TAIL
WOULD BE REPLACED WITH DOTS. ON THE MALES,
THE CHEST WOULD BECOME RED, AND THE WINGS BLUE. THE PROCESS BEGINS WITH THE SEQUENCING OF
THE BAND-TAILED PIGEON'S GENOME. ALVAREZ CONTRIBUTED
A BLOOD SAMPLE FROM ONE OF HIS PIGEONS. Alvarez:
SO, THIS IS ACTUALLY THE PIGEON THAT WE PICKED OUT
TO DO ALL THE TESTING FROM. WE NAMED IT SALLY. RYAN AND STEWART,
THEY BOTH CAME UP WITH THAT NAME BECAUSE OF MY NAME BEING SAL. Narrator: ONCE SALLY'S GENOME
HAS BEEN SEQUENCED, NOVAK WILL COMPARE IT TO
THE PASSENGER PIGEON'S GENOME. BECAUSE IT'S EXTINCT, RESEARCHERS HAVE TO SEQUENCE
ITS DNA FROM SPECIMENS STORED AT MUSEUMS LIKE THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY
OF SCIENCES. Dumbacher: YOU CAN TAKE
A LITTLE TINY SNIPPET OF THIS DRIED TOE SKIN. AND WE FIND THAT THE DNA's
PRETTY EASY TO GET OUT OF THERE. IT'S VERY DEGRADED,
BUT IT'S IN BETTER SHAPE THAN SOME OF THE OTHER PARTS
OF THE BODY. Narrator: EVEN THOUGH
RESEARCHERS HAVE PLENTY OF PASSENGER-PIGEON DNA
TO WORK WITH, THEY FACE A CHALLENGE. DNA FROM A DEAD ANIMAL
IS BROKEN INTO MANY TINY PIECES AND NEEDS TO BE PAINSTAKINGLY
ASSEMBLED LIKE A PUZZLE. Shapiro:
WHAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL WOULD BE IF WE WERE TO HAVE
THE BOX TOP THAT GOES WITH THAT PUZZLE, WITH THE PICTURE ON IT
THAT WE COULD USE TO TRY TO PIECE
THESE LITTLE PIECES TOGETHER. WHEN WE'RE WORKING
WITH AN EXTINCT SPECIES, WE DON'T HAVE THAT. INSTEAD, WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT
THAT PUZZLE TOP SHOULD LOOK LIKE FOR THE BAND-TAILED PIGEON. AND THEN WE'RE GONNA USE THAT
TO TRY TO PIECE TOGETHER THESE TINY
LITTLE BROKEN FRAGMENTS AND COME UP
WITH THE PASSENGER PIGEON. Narrator: THE PASSENGER PIGEON
GENES THAT AREN'T PRESENT IN THE BAND-TAILED PIGEON'S
GENOME COULD TURN OUT TO BE WHAT GIVES THE EXTINCT
BIRD ITS UNIQUE TRAITS -- ITS RED BREAST OR ITS SWIFT WINGS
AND LONG TAIL. ONCE SCIENTISTS FIGURE OUT
WHAT THOSE GENES ARE, THEY'LL BUILD THEM IN THE LAB
USING CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS. THEN THEY PLAN TO INSERT
THOSE PASSENGER-PIGEON GENES INTO BAND-TAILED-PIGEON CELLS, USING NEW
GENOME-EDITING TECHNOLOGY. George:
IT'S LIKE VERY PRECISE SCISSORS THAT ALLOW YOU TO CUT AND SPLICE WITH UNPRECEDENTED ACCURACY
AND EASE OF USE. OUR EXPERIENCE
WITH THE EDITING TECHNOLOGIES IS THEY WORK
ON EVERY ORGANISM WE'VE TRIED, FROM PLANTS
TO FUNGI AND SO FORTH. Narrator: THE LAST STEP WOULD BE
TO INSERT THOSE NEW CELLS INTO BAND-TAILED PIGEON EGGS. Novak: IF WE DO THAT JUST RIGHT,
WE'LL GET BAND-TAILED PIGEONS THAT CARRY THE SPERM AND
THE EGGS OF PASSENGER PIGEONS. SO THAT WHEN YOU TAKE A MALE
AND A FEMALE, BREED THEM TOGETHER,
THEY LAY AN EGG, AND OUT HATCHES
A PASSENGER PIGEON. Narrator: THEN THE CHICK
WOULD NEED A NAME. Brand: IF YOU TURN A BAND-TAILED
PIGEON INTO A PASSENGER PIGEON, IS IT REALLY A PASSENGER PIGEON, OR IS IT JUST SOME WEIRD KIND
OF CHIMERA OR HYBRID OR WHAT? AND THE ANSWER IS
WE DON'T KNOW YET. AND YOU WON'T REALLY KNOW
UNTIL YOU TRY IT. Narrator: THE NEW BIRDS
WOULD JOIN OTHER TYPES OF BIRDS THAT HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY BRED
IN CAPTIVITY. SOME OF THE STRATEGIES
MIGHT SEEM FARFETCHED. HUMANS HAVE SERVED
AS SURROGATE PARENTS FOR THE CALIFORNIA CONDOR. AND THEY TAKE TO THE AIR
TO HELP WHOOPING CRANES MIGRATE. WITH THE PASSENGER PIGEON, ONE GOAL WOULD BE TO TEACH
THE BIRDS TO STICK TOGETHER, SO THEY WON'T GO OFF AND JOIN
FLOCKS OF OTHER PIGEON SPECIES. Novak: WE COULD TAKE
WHITE ROCK PIGEONS, TRAIN THEM TO FLY
FROM ONE AREA TO ANOTHER, TO BE OUR ADULT FLOCK OF BIRDS. AND THEN WE CAN DYE THEIR
FEATHERS BLUE ON THE BACK, RED ON THE BREASTS, MAKE THEM
LOOK LIKE PASSENGER PIGEONS, SO THAT OUR BABY
PASSENGER PIGEONS SEE A FLOCK OF PASSENGER PIGEONS
GOING FROM ONE AREA TO ANOTHER. Narrator: BUT A KEY QUESTION
HAS NEVER BEEN ANSWERED. Shapiro: WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING
ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE PASSENGER PIGEON NEEDS
TO EXIST IN HUGE NUMBERS IN ORDER TO SURVIVE AT ALL. TO ANYONE WHO REALLY WANTS TO BRING THE PASSENGER PIGEON
BACK TO LIFE, I'D SAY
THAT KNOWING WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE GOING TO NEED TO BRING
BACK BILLIONS OF THEM IS PROBABLY
A PRETTY GOOD QUESTION. Narrator: SHAPIRO AND NOVAK
ARE DOING GENETIC STUDIES TO CLARIFY
WHETHER OR NOT PASSENGER PIGEONS CAN ONLY SURVIVE IN HUGE FLOCKS. THIS WILL HELP DETERMINE IF THERE'S ACTUALLY ENOUGH
FOREST TO SUPPORT THEM. Patton: IT'S A MINUSCULE AMOUNT
COMPARED TO WHAT IT WAS IN PRE-INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
DAYS. Phelan:
THE EASTERN DECIDUOUS FOREST HAS MADE A GREAT COMEBACK
IN THE LAST 100 YEARS. TALKING WITH A NUMBER
OF DIFFERENT CONSERVATIONISTS, THEY REALLY DO BELIEVE
THAT THERE IS HABITAT THERE. Narrator: EVEN IF THERE IS
ENOUGH FOREST FOR THE PASSENGER PIGEON, THE REVIVED BIRD COULD END UP IN
CONFLICT WITH HUMANS ONCE AGAIN, ESPECIALLY IF IT WERE LISTED UNDER
THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT. Shapiro:
IF IT'S AN ENDANGERED SPECIES, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, ALL OF THE FOREST HABITAT
WHERE IT GOES INTO WILL BE OFF-LIMITS TO HUNTING
AND HIKING AND BIKING, AND I'M NOT SURE THAT
THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WAS WELL-RECEIVED
BY SEGMENTS OF THE POPULATION. Patton: WILL THE PEOPLE
ON THE EAST COAST BE WILLING TO PUT UP
WITH THOUSANDS OF PIGEONS DEFECATING ALL OVER EVERYTHING? Phelan: REALISTICALLY,
IT PROBABLY IS 20 YEARS BEFORE WE'LL SEE THEM
IN THE WILD AGAIN. I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT HAPPEN
IN 15. BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO ALLOW
THE TIME. PEOPLE HAVE TO WANT
THIS PIGEON BACK. Narrator: BUT SKEPTICISM SEEMS
TO BE COMING FROM ALL CORNERS, EVEN FROM WITHIN THE TEAM
WORKING WITH BEN NOVAK. THOUGH HIS BOSS
AT THE UNIVERSITY IS RESEARCHING WHY PASSENGER
PIGEONS BECAME SO ABUNDANT, SHE DOESN'T THINK IT'S
A GOOD IDEA TO BRING THEM BACK. Shapiro:
WHY THE PASSENGER PIGEON? WHY DO YOU WANT TO BRING THIS
BIRD BACK AND NOT SOMETHING ELSE, NOT SOMETHING
THAT IS LESS ANNOYING? Novak: ANNOYING?
WELL, THAT'S THE MISCONCEPTION. Shapiro: HOW IS A BILLION BIRDS
FLYING OVERHEAD A MISCONCEPTION
ABOUT ANNOYING-NESS? WE KNOW THAT THEY EXISTED
IN THE BILLIONS. Novak: YES. THE NEW POPULATION
DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE A HUGE POPULATION. IT CAN BE
A SMALLER POPULATION OF BIRDS, LIVING A LOT MORE LIKE
BAND-TAILED PIGEONS AND SERVING THEIR
ECOLOGICAL ROLE IN THE EAST. Shapiro: WHY NOT SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO FILL A ROLE,
FOR EXAMPLE, THAT MIGHT HELP OTHER SPECIES,
LIKE THE MAMMOTH, FOR EXAMPLE? THERE'S A PLACE WHERE YOU COULD
PUT THEM -- IN THE ARCTIC -- WHERE THEY MIGHT ACTUALLY HELP
TO REINVIGORATE THE ENVIRONMENT. THE PASSENGER PIGEON
WOULD NOT FILL A NICHE THAT'S BEEN VACATED. IT WOULD MAKE ITSELF A NUISANCE. SO I'M UNCONVINCED. Novak: THE PASSENGER PIGEON
CAN COME IN AND PLAY AN ELEMENT IN SHAPING THE TYPES OF TREES
THAT BECOME SUCCESSFUL, AND THAT'S THE ROLE THAT I SEE THE PASSENGER PIGEON
COMING BACK TO PLAY. Narrator: WHILE THE
PASSENGER PIGEON MIGHT ONE DAY HELP RESTORE THE FOREST
BY SPREADING SEEDS AROUND, SCIENTISTS HAVE EVEN BIGGER
PLANS FOR THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH. GEORGE CHURCH IS ENGINEERING
ELEPHANT CELLS WITH GENES THAT WOULD GIVE THEM
THICK FUR AND A FATTY LAYER. HIS HOPE
IS THAT THESE NEW MAMMOTHS COULD HELP KEEP THE ARCTIC
FROM MELTING. SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT GRAZING
BY HERBIVORES LIKE MAMMOTHS STRENGTHENED THE GRASS THAT GREW
ON TOP OF THE PERMAFROST AND PROTECTED IT FROM THE SUN. George: THE MAMMOTHS
MAY HAVE HAD A BIG ROLE IN MAINTAINING THE GRASS
THAT STABILIZED THE ICE, WHICH CONTAINS
MORE CARBON IN IT, AS IN GLOBAL-WARMING CARBON, THAN ALL OF THE RAINFORESTS
PUT TOGETHER TIMES TWO. Patton: HOW MANY WOOLLY MAMMOTHS
WOULD YOU HAVE TO HAVE COURSING ACROSS SIBERIA -- SIBERIA'S NOT EXACTLY
A SMALL PLACE, YOU KNOW -- TO HAVE
THAT KIND OF GLOBAL IMPACT TO KEEP THE PERMAFROST
FROM MELTING? Narrator: EVEN SCIENTISTS
SKEPTICAL OF DE-EXTINCTION BELIEVE
THAT ANY TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED TO BRING BACK EXTINCT SPECIES COULD BE USEFUL
TO HELP ENDANGERED SPECIES. Shapiro: THIS TECHNOLOGY
WILL BE TREMENDOUSLY USEFUL IN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY,
FOR EXAMPLE, TO RE-ENGINEER LOST DIVERSITY INTO POPULATIONS THAT HAVE
RECENTLY BECOME VERY, VERY SMALL AND ARE ON THE VERGE
OF EXTINCTION. Narrator:
THE NORTHERN WHITE RHINOCEROS AT THE SAN DIEGO ZOO'S
SAFARI PARK IN ESCONDIDO, CALIFORNIA,
ARE SO ENDANGERED THAT THEY RISK ONE DAY
BEING ONLY ON THE PARK'S SIGN. Woman: RIGHT NOW,
SHE KIND OF PREFERS ALFALFA. WE USUALLY DON'T FEED THIS
TO OUR WHITE RHINOS. BUT SHE'S GERIATRIC, AND THERE'S NO NEED FOR HER
NOT TO HAVE HER FAVORITE FOOD. Narrator: THE SAN DIEGO ZOO'S
NOLA AND ANGIE ARE TWO OF ONLY SEVEN NORTHERN
WHITE RHINOS LEFT IN THE WORLD. POACHED FOR THEIR HORNS,
THE RHINOS ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE DISAPPEARED IN THE WILD
AROUND 2006. Ryder: THE LAST STRONGHOLD FOR THE NORTHERN WHITE RHINO
IN ITS NATURAL HABITAT WAS IN GARAMBA NATIONAL PARK IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
OF THE CONGO. THE CARETAKERS, THE RANGERS, THE PEOPLE WHO WERE PROTECTING
IT AND HAD BEEN STUDYING IT WERE THREATENED
AND TOLD TO LEAVE. Narrator: AT 40,
THE PARK'S TWO RHINOS HAVE ENDED
THEIR BABY-MAKING YEARS, AND IT'S ALSO UNLIKELY THAT THE OTHER FIVE
WILL REPRODUCE, EITHER. Ryder: WITHOUT SOME
EXTRAORDINARY INTERVENTION, NORTHERN WHITE RHINOS
ARE DOOMED. Narrator: THOSE
EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES BEGIN WITH RHINO CELLS STORED
AT MINUS-250 DEGREES AT THE SAN DIEGO ZOO'S
FROZEN ZOO. SCIENTISTS HAVE COLLECTED CELLS
FROM 12 NORTHERN WHITE RHINOS AND WOULD LIKE TO USE THEM
TO INCREASE THE POPULATION'S SIZE
AND GENETIC DIVERSITY. USING STEM-CELL TECHNIQUES, SCIENTISTS COULD PRODUCE
RHINO SPERM AND EGGS. THEY'D THEN JOIN THEM
THROUGH IN VITRO FERTILIZATION TO CREATE RHINO EMBRYOS. THE PLAN WOULD CALL
FOR A CLOSE RELATIVE, SOUTHERN WHITE RHINOS,
TO BE THE SURROGATE MOTHERS. THOSE RHINOS ARE THEMSELVES
ALSO ENDANGERED. Ryder: EACH OF THESE STEPS HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED
IN OTHER SPECIES. AND NOBODY HAS TRIED
TO DO THIS WITH THE RHINOS. AND IF NOBODY TRIES, FOR SURE,
THEY WILL BECOME EXTINCT. Narrator: CREATED IN THE 1970s
FOR GENERAL RESEARCH PURPOSES, THE FROZEN ZOO NOW HOLDS THE CELLS
OF 1,000 DIFFERENT SPECIES. ONE OF THEM, A HAWAIIAN BIRD,
HAS ALREADY GONE EXTINCT, AND A HANDFUL MORE
ARE ON THE BRINK. WITH THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGIES, THEIR STORED CELLS
COULD ONE DAY BECOME A LIFELINE. Ryder:
THE WONDERS OF LIFE ARE ENCODED IN THE DNA OF THE VIALS
FROM ARABIAN ORYX AND PYGMY HIPPOPOTAMUSES
AND BIGHORN SHEEP. THAT'S JUST
1 OF THE OVER 100 BOXES IN HERE. I SHOW THIS TO YOUNG SCIENTISTS WHO COME AND VISIT
AND WANT TO KNOW WHAT A SCIENTIST WORKING
ON GENETICS OF ENDANGERED SPECIES DOES. AND I CAN SAY,
"SOME DAY, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO WORK ON THESE SAMPLES BECAUSE
WE'VE TAKEN CARE OF THEM." Announcer: SUPPORT FOR
"KQED SCIENCE" IS PROVIDED BY... SUPPORT IS ALSO PROVIDED
BY THE MEMBERS OF KQED.
Its not so much the species but the niches they filled and their function to the habitats they lived in
I think we should demonstrate concern for the animals were killing off right now, before we bring back extinct ones, just to shit on them again.
Not really a question of if. More like, should we?