Species

Less than five minutes from my office are: an Italian deli, a Vietnamese pho house, a pizzeria, two Chinese, one Thai and one Indian “with a contemporary twist” (don’t knock until you’ve tried). Can such generosity extend to Earth?

Yes he can. It’s already happening. And in what amounts to a distillation of a lifetime’s work written on food, Eat Until Extinction by Dan Saladino explains exactly what price we will pay for the extraordinary achievement of the hopeful global food industry. , not only to end world hunger by 2030 (a touted UN goal), but to make California scrolls available everywhere, from Kamchatka to Karachi.

Do you think your experience of world cuisine reflects global diversity? The problem with my varied diet (if it’s Wednesday then it must be Thai red curry with shrimps) is that it’s also your varied diet, and that of your neighbor; in other words, it is quickly becoming the same varied diet across the globe. Mankind fed (admittedly not too well) on 6,000 species of plants. Today, for more than three quarters of our calories, we only eat nine: rice, wheat and corn, potatoes, barley, palm oil and soybeans, beet sugar and cane sugar. The same shrinkage is found in our consumption of animals and seafood. In short, we have learned to grow ever larger quantities of less and less food.

Saladino, host of Radio 4’s The Food, is in the business of anecdotes. He travels the Earth to meet his pantheon of culinary heroes, each of them seen retaining a rare food item for our table – a red pea, a goat cheese, a flat oyster. So far, so magazine-y. And there is nothing wrong with the adventures of, say, Woldemar Mammel who, by rummaging through the attics of old farmhouses and barns, rescued the seemingly extinct Swabian “dawn” lens; nor in the dedication of former chef Karlos Baca to rehabilitating an almost entirely forgotten Native American cuisine.

That said, it takes Saladino 450 pages (which is surely a good hundred pages too many) to explain why the Mammels and Bacas of this world are so desperately needed to save a food system that, far from collapsing, seems to feed more. and more food to more and more people.

You learn to read between the lines after working for years on political issues in Ontario.

For example, when the government makes an announcement late Friday, it’s a clear signal that it hopes to avoid timely scrutiny and negative media coverage. And when the Department of Environment, Conservation and Parks claims it is “streamlining authorizations”, it is usually to allow industry and development to move faster or faster, to the detriment of that. which is seen as an obstacle.

A case in point: the government’s announcement in the late afternoon of September 17 regarding the creation of a new “Species Conservation Action Agency” under the Endangered Species Act . While this looks promising, the agency is the first step in “streamlining authorizations” for activities that negatively affect species at risk.

This is all part of the implementation of the new “Endangered Species Conservation Fund,” another sounding euphemism for what conservationists have rightly called “pay to kill”. With the fund, those who propose harmful activities will be able to pay up front rather than taking action to more than compensate for the damage caused, as is currently required.

The Ontario ESA was designed with flexibility in mind. It allows harmful activities to continue, but only with adequate safeguards in place. Operators must take steps to ensure that the species will be doing better than before the damage occurred. If the habitat is damaged or destroyed, it must be restored or replaced.

The Comprehensive Benefit Standard was designed to facilitate species recovery, not just to mitigate the blows of habitat loss and degradation, the primary driver of species decline. But the fund guts out the norm, allowing operators to make a payment and then leave, without any additional liability.

With this new model, there will no longer be a direct link between the damage inflicted on a particular species and the remedy provided by the fund. Payments should be pooled and used for the benefit of any species in the fund, not necessarily the one that has been harmed. Depending on political priorities or the availability or convenience of compensation activities, populations of some species, or parts of their range, may be sacrificed while others benefit.

In addition, the activities supported by the fund should only be “reasonably likely” to benefit the affected cash. In other words, it provides certainty for promoters, but not for the plants and animals that ESA is supposed to protect. Nor for the affected communities.

There is no doubt that the fund will shorten approval times and increase certainty for developers, as the government claims. It will be cheaper and faster to obtain authorization for harmful activities. But it creates a perverse incentive for destruction.

In the midst of a man-made extinction crisis, it is tragic to see the government pursue such a backward policy. Biodiversity is declining at a rate “unprecedented in human history”, yet in Ontario there does not appear to be an appetite for the transformative change needed to stem the loss.

You don’t have to read between the lines to understand that human well-being is inextricably linked with the health of the planet. This fact is inescapable. Biodiversity loss is ranked among the top five risks to economies over the next decade, due to the invaluable benefits that nature offers. However, time and time again, we have seen the government choose to weaken environmental laws and policies.

Is it too much to ask the government to maintain and strengthen the protection of our most endangered plants and animals rather than looking after its business friends?

The black-footed ferret, the only species of ferret native to North America, is said to have become extinct in 1979. On September 26, 1981, a black-footed ferret was discovered in the prairie of Wyoming. From this unlikely event, an entire species began its return – one of the most remarkable conservation stories on Earth. In honor of the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the last black-footed ferret colony, here are five of the important milestones in the conservation of this miraculous species.

1. Discovery of a lost species
   In 1967, black-footed polecats were classified as endangered. By 1974 they had apparently disappeared from the wild, and by 1980 the last black-footed ferrets taken in by humans died, leaving the species extinct. In 1981, a ranch dog in Meeteetse, Wyoming named Shep brought home an animal that its owners, John and Lucille Hogg, did not recognize. On taking it to the local taxidermist, they discovered it was a black-footed ferret! Enthusiastic wildlife biologists searched the surrounding area for prairie dogs, the primary food source for ferrets in the wild, and found a black-footed ferret colony. The once presumed extinct species was back on the map.
2. Ferrets taken care of by humans
   For several years, biologists monitored the last wild colony of black-footed ferrets. In 1985, fleas carrying the deadly sylvatic plague – which in humans is bubonic plague – were discovered in the colony. Due to the plague and the risk of canine distemper, the number of the last colony began to decline. As a result of intensive studies and discussions between scientists and wildlife experts, all black-footed ferrets were taken in by humans to create a breeding program and attempt to prevent extinction. The last wild ferret was captured in 1987, when only 18 ferrets made up the breeding population of the entire species: seven males and 11 females. That same year, two litters of ferrets were born at the Sybille Wildlife Research Center in Wyoming – the first surviving ferret kits born under human care. Managed by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department until 1996, the US Fish and Wildlife Service assumed oversight of operations in 1996 and established the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center.
3. Smithsonian joins the ferret force
   In 1988, there were a number of surviving black-footed ferrets. The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., And the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska have joined the breeding program. The following year, six ferret kits were born at SCBI, the first ferrets born into human care outside of Wyoming. An ambitious black-footed ferret recovery plan was approved and adopted. The new plan called for strategic breeding and cryopreservation of black-footed ferret genetic material, including sperm, at the SCBI and the frozen zoo at the San Diego Zoo.
4. Born to be wild (again)
   From 1988 to 1993, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Louisville Zoological Gardens, Toronto Zoo, and Phoenix Zoo joined in black-footed ferret conservation and breeding efforts. As more kits were born, environmentalists began to think about reintroduction efforts. Environmentalists, veterinarians and scientists worked together to determine the best way to “precondition” ferrets born under human care to survive in the wild. Large enclosures were created to help ferrets learn to dig, trap and kill live prey – prairie dogs.

   In 1991, 49 ferrets were released into the wild in the Shirley Basin, Wyoming. In 1998, more ferret kits were born in the wild than in human care, and black-footed ferret colonies were established in several locations throughout the American West. Since the blackfoot breeding program began in 1986, more than 10,500 ferret kittens have been born under human care, including more than 1,000 at SCBI. Of the ferrets born at the Smithsonian, more than 350 have been released into the wild.

5. Frozen Future: Scarface and Willa
   The last male black-footed ferret captured from the wild in 1987 was called Scarface. It has proven to be a lifeline for the species, spawning many healthy ferret kits. In 2009, Scarface made a big impact again. As the current black-footed ferret population is small, careful breeding is vital to maintaining healthy animals. Thanks to the foresight of the scientists who started the breeding program, including Dr JoGayle Howard and David Wildt of SCBI, frozen black-footed ferret semen has been set aside for the unknown future. In 2009, live and healthy kits were born as a result of an artificial semen from a female ferret using the frozen semen of 20-year-old Scarface. The ability to successfully artificially inseminate using frozen and thawed sperm has increased scientists’ ability to ensure a more diverse black-footed ferret population in human care and in reintroduced populations.

   Last year, using biomaterials and ingenuity, scientists were able to clone a female named Willa, one of the original 18 ferrets discovered who has no living descendants. Her clone, Elizabeth Ann, was born on December 10, 2020. For the first time, new black-footed ferret genes have been reintroduced into the species. Conservation innovations, like cloning, and ongoing breeding and reintroduction efforts help ensure the black-footed ferret continues to roam the North American prairie.

Balochistan’s Wildlife Department was taking concrete steps to protect endangered eagle species from poachers under the 2014 Wildlife Act, Chief Wildlife Conservator Sharif Baloch said on Friday.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – September 24, 2021): The Balochistan Wildlife Department was taking concrete action to protect endangered species of eagle from poachers under the 2014 Wildlife Act, said Friday Chief Wildlife Curator Sharif Baloch.

Speaking to APP, Sharif Baloch said the department has formed special teams to ensure wildlife preservation across the province, in addition to controlling poaching, illegal hunting and the trade in birds of prey.

“We are in coordination with the relevant departments to control the illegal trafficking of native birds abroad and zero tolerance has been adopted against poaching and the hunting of animals and birds in the province,” he said. he points out.

He said the ministry had ensured the preservation of wildlife in the province within the limits of limited available resources.

The government has functionalized the “Balochistan Council for Wildlife Conservation” to provide a research center dedicated to animal life, conservation and public recreation.

Baloch said the government was taking important steps to engage the community in saving wildlife and educating the masses about wildlife and nature conservation.

Baloch said the government had launched a community game reserve in Kharan to engage local people in an effort to conserve wildlife in the area.

He said a massive awareness campaign was underway to educate citizens about the importance of wildlife to the ecosystem.

The campaign was aimed at deterring poaching, a major threat to the province’s wildlife habitats, he added.

He said the government has also established the first GIS laboratory for mapping provincial forest resources and protecting wildlife across the province.

Balochistan has a rich biodiversity and natural heritage, especially wildlife which is unfortunately threatened mainly due to human activities and adverse weather conditions, he added.

Native eagle habitats are found in the Dalbandin, Zangi Nawar, Loralai and Zhob regions of the province.

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Environmentalists who work to promote the recovery of endangered plants and animals are often faced with the challenge of how to best motivate the public. Should we describe the alarming decline of a beloved creature to spur action, or communicate a rare but inspiring success story to restore hope?

The best way to frame recovery efforts for species on the brink isn’t just about how we communicate with others; it’s also relevant to the way we approach our work. Efforts to reverse trends that threaten the survival of wildlife can be difficult to sustain. It is sometimes extremely difficult to remain energetic and positive in the face of the continuing and demoralizing decline of species.

Fortunately, a half-full glass approach to framing species at risk recovery has emerged. It wasn’t from a communications team or a public engagement think tank as one might imagine; rather, it was developed by people working around the world to stop extinction and advance recovery.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which assesses the global status of species using a “red list” to differentiate levels of danger, introduced the concept of “green list” to assess levels of danger. feasibility of recovery and successful conservation.

“Warnings of impending extinctions are not the only way to catalyze conservation efforts,” says IUCN. “We also need an optimistic view of species conservation that presents a roadmap for how to conserve a species and achieve its recovery. This is necessary to encourage positive conservation actions and programs. To achieve this, the Red List assessment process needs to be broadened to include conservation success classifiers. IUCN is currently creating a new set of measures to achieve this.

This framing gives conservation practitioners a much broader, often more encouraging, picture than just assessments of the status of species. Like the online magazine Yale Environment 360 describes, “While the low number of Sumatran rhinos may well keep them in the Critically Endangered category for decades to come, their assessment of green status places their long-term recovery potential at nearly 50%. which means that continued conservation efforts over the next century could take the species almost halfway to full recovery … for a species that has long been considered a bit more hardy than a museum exhibit , this is a radical change in his narrative, which may well lead to new commitments of money and effort.

The emerging framework can also play a vital role in changing business-as-usual practices. The popular Canadian approach to government-led recovery initiatives is “priority threat management”. It is detailed in the study “Prioritizing Recovery Funding to Maximize Conservation of Endangered Species,” which focuses on a region of southern Saskatchewan and uses a model to assess recovery options for species at risk based, among other things. factors, perceived profitability. remedial measures. As the report notes, “here we show that we can take limited resources for endangered species much further by prioritizing investments in management strategies that recover the greatest number of species at the lowest cost.

This approach may seem sensible, but the David Suzuki Foundation has expressed concerns about the cost-effectiveness of becoming the dominant filter in such settings, as it could exclude much-needed conservation approaches and result in the abandonment of some species. For example, the Saskatchewan report notes that habitat restoration was one of the “least profitable individual strategies” in its study area.

Habitat restoration can be an expensive endeavor. Yet in many, if not most, cases of endangered species in Canada, the main drivers have been industrial and development activities which, while fragmenting and degrading habitat, have generated significant economic gains. . They therefore have the responsibility to bear the costs.

Recovering species at risk is a difficult journey. The first step is to stop the main threats, to silence the knife, so to speak. But from there the company becomes more optimistic, based on the belief that humans have the imagination and the commitment to fix what we have damaged.

As the authors of Journal of Conservation Biology article upon which the Green List is based, write: “We believe that the development and implementation of this system will give the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species a positive conservation vision, encouraging optimism.

“Optimism” is not a word you find every day in scientific journal articles on vulnerable species. Here to find out more.

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The Araripe Basin in northeastern Brazil is well known for its fossil reserves, but in 2013 it was the scene of a crime ripped straight from an Indiana Jones movie. Barrels discovered during a police raid in the port of Santos hid, among other things, six limestone slabs containing the most complete specimen of Tupandactylus navigans – a species of pterosaur – ever discovered. A specimen of this caliber, of course, belongs to a museum and has since been turned over to the Laboratório de Paleontologia Sistemática at the Instituto de Geociências of the Universidade de São Paulo for research. The results were recently published in the journal Plos One.

“The federal police were already investigating the trafficking of fossils in Brazil at that time, and this operation was called ‘Operação Munique’ (Operation Munich). Most of the fossils are fish, insects, sometimes plants and reptiles. Only two pterosaurs were recovered in this apprehension, and I only managed to study the one we published in Plos One (the other is not as complete, but we plan to tackle it in the future) Victor Becarri, lead author of the paper, told SYFY WIRE.

Previously discovered specimens of this pterosaur consist of isolated skulls or partial skeletons, but this recent discovery is almost complete and well articulated, offering scientists new insight into the animal’s anatomy and behavior. Once removed from the barrels, the slabs were placed together like a tapestry and observed both visually and by X-ray computed tomography, which revealed structures still covered in sediment.

“Now we have a clearer picture of the complete skeleton of this animal, which was previously only known by its head. Being able to look at ecomorphology and start studying biomechanics with the 3D data we acquired is definitely my part. favorite of this job, ”says Becarri.

Native to the early Cretaceous period, Tupandactylus navigans belongs to a group of animals known as tapejaridae that covers geographies all over the world, including Europe, Asia and of course the Americas. Flying reptiles were known for their large ridges, which would set back even your average cassowary (a living dinosaur if we’ve seen one before). The precise purpose of these ridges is unknown, but may have been sexually dimorphic, playing a role in the mating process.

As for the impressive ridges, Tupa. Navigans is no exception, bearing the largest dental crest among the tapejarine pterosaurs, accounting for about 40 percent of its total height, whose soft tissues are beautifully preserved in the Brazilian specimen. Most important, however, are the details uncovered from the rest of the skeleton.

Like modern birds, pterosaur bones are hollow and fragile, making them less than ideal candidates for preservation. As such, complete specimens are notoriously rare, which makes this find particularly exciting.

Among the results presented by Beccari et al. is a new understanding of the relationship of Tupandactylus navigans with flight. We imagine pterosaurs as high-flying predators of the kind that could swoop down from the sky and attack a fleeing Jimmy Buffet, consuming him and his two frozen cocktails in one sip. In fact, Tupa. Navigans may have spent most of their time looking for food on the ground.

“Tupandactylus navigans had all the adaptations for powered flight, such as large areas of muscle anchoring in the first bone of the arm (the humerus) and the fusion of the first dorsal (dorsal) vertebrae into a structure we call a notarium” , explains Becarri. “However, he has a disproportionate head crest which, along with an elongated neck (which he had), could hamper long-distance flights. This animal may have used flight as an escape alternative for predators, or on short distances to find food and mates.

Body structures suggest that while theft was possible, it was costly in energy and could not be sustained for long periods of time. In addition, comparison with related species and examination of jaw structures indicate a primary regime of hard vegetation.

Instead of the aggressive top-flight predator of jurassic park glory, Tupa. Navigans was probably closer to a 3 foot tall turkey with an eight foot wingspan. While this incredible fossil specimen offered a lot of new data about the species, we might have learned even more.

“We lose a lot when a specimen is collected like this. Since we don’t know the exact location, we can’t continue to dig in the same spot to look for other specimens that lived and died with Tupandactylus navigans, ”Becarri says.“ We know it comes from the Lower Cretaceous Period. (about 115 million years ago) from the Crato Formation in Chapada do Araripe, northeastern Brazil. But the exact location and the layer are impossible to know. Therefore, even though we have many fossils from the same site, we cannot be 100% sure that all of these organisms existed at exactly the same time, as there can be even hundreds to thousands of years between them. layers there. This is one of the worst ways to collect fossils without the presence of a professional paleontologist.

The specimen is currently on display at the São Paulo Geoscience Museum

A group of researchers working in Montana’s Hell Creek Formation have discovered the fossilized remains of four different dinosaurs, including one that may be a new species.

Paleontologists, who come from the University of Washington and the Burke Museum, have discovered the ilium (or hip bone) of an “ostrich-sized theropod,” a group that includes carnivorous dinosaurs to two legs such as T. rex or raptor and the hips and legs of a duck-billed dinosaur.

They also unearthed a pelvis, a toe claw, and limbs from another theropod which could be the rare Anzu (also known as the “hell chicken”) or possibly a new species; as well as the skull and other bones of a Triceratops.

“Each fossil we collect helps us refine our vision of the last dinosaur-dominated ecosystems and the earliest mammal-dominated ecosystems,” said Gregory Wilson Mantilla, professor at the University of Washington and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Burke. Museum in a press release.

“With these, we can better understand the processes involved in the loss and origin of biodiversity and the fragility, collapse and assembly of ecosystems.”

The discovery was made in Montana’s Hell Creek Formation, where a number of dinosaur fossils have been found over the years.

Located in the northeastern part of Montana, the area dates back to the latter part of the Cretaceous, between 68 and 66 million years ago.

The Hell Creek Formation, located in the northeastern part of the state, dates back to the latter part of the Cretaceous, between 68 and 66 million years ago.

A number of dinosaur fossils have been unearthed there over the years, including the triceratops known as “Big John,” which is expected to go up for auction next month.

It is also home to a cemetery filled with fish, mammals and another triceratops who died after being entombed by a tsunami triggered by the asteroid that struck Earth 66 million years ago.

The triceratops are known as the “Flyby Trike” after a breeder (who leases land from the Bureau of Land Management) spotted it while flying his plane.

To date, paleontologists have discovered the triceratops frill, horn bones, rib bones, lower jaw, teeth, and a bone known as a “trailer hitch”.

The “trailer hitch,” or occipital condyle bone, connects the skull to the vertebrae in the neck.

Experts believe that around 30 percent of triceratops have been discovered.

It is likely that the “Flyby Trike” died in a floodplain because its bones were found on top of each other, differently from how a living animal would have been found.

It is also possible that the bones were moved by a scavenger, such as T. rex, before they were fossilized.

This Triceratops may have been one of the last of its kind living before the asteroid impact, with paleontologists at the University of Washington estimating that it lived less than 300,000 years before the impact.

“Prior to this year’s excavation, part of the Flyby Trike collar and a frontal horn were collected and then prepared by volunteer preparers in the fossil preparation lab,” said Kelsie Abrams, head of the paleontology preparation lab. from the Burke Museum which also ran the field this summer. job.

The triceratops are known as the “Flyby Trike” (pictured). To date, paleontologists have discovered the triceratops ruff, horn bones, rib bones, lower jaw, teeth, and a bone known as a “trailer hitch.”

Kelsie Abrams (photo), head of the Burke Museum’s paleontology preparation lab, opens the field jacket of a theropod ilion

“The collar has been put together in many pieces and put together in a fantastic way by volunteers. After confusing the flying part together, it was discovered that the specimen is probably an older “grandparent” triceratops.

Abrams continued, “The triangular bones along the ruff, called the ‘occipital spikes,’ are completely fused and almost unrecognizable on the specimen, compared to the sharp, noticeable triangular shape seen in younger individuals.

“In addition, the frontal horn curves downward rather than upward, and this feature has also been reported in older animals.”

Additionally, researchers found amber pods and seeds near the “Flyby Trike,” which will allow paleobotanists to determine which plants the dinosaur was eating and what the ecosystem looked like at the time.

“Plant fossil remains from this period are crucial to our understanding of the wider ecosystem,” added Paige Wilson, a UW graduate student.

“Not only can plant material tell us what these dinosaurs may have been eating, but plants can more broadly tell us what their surroundings looked like.”

The four fossils will eventually become part of the collections of the Burke Museum.

WHAT MAKES TRICERATOPS SO FURIOUS?

Triceratops were herbivores and had two large horns on their eyes and a smaller nasal horn, as well as a parrot’s beak and large ruff that could grow up to nearly one meter (3 feet) in diameter.

According to the Natural History Museum in London, UK, its horns could have been used to fend off attacks from Tyrannosaurus rex, one of its main predators.

A partial Triceratops fossil found in 1997 had a horn that had been bitten, with bite marks that correspond to T. rex.

Triceratops likely lived in herds to warn each other of danger and reduce their chances of being targeted by predators. Pictured is a reconstruction of what a Triceratops might have looked like

Puncture marks were also found on fossil flourishes showing that male triceratops also used their horns to fight, possibly to impress females.

The flourishes of triceratops could have been used to attract mates, or as a way for members of the same species to recognize each other or regulate body temperature.

Triceratops likely lived in herds to warn each other of danger and reduce their chances of being targeted by predators.

THELast week I woke up to a series of notifications warning me that a biotech company had secured US $ 15 million (AU $ 20.6 million) to sign up for a program to recreate prominent mammoths. to reintroduce them into the arctic tundra.

The reason for the flurry of emails and messages wasn’t that the story seemed to come out of a sci-fi novel, it was that it was something from a science fiction novel; in particular my novel, Ghost Species, which imagines the consequences of such a scheme.

My novel was not meant to be predictive in the strict sense of the word. Instead, I wanted to use it to reflect on a series of questions about climate catastrophe and inevitability, extinction and de-extinction and perhaps more importantly, what it might be like to be the last. – or the first – of its kind. Still, that’s not to say that there isn’t something deeply baffling about seeing one of his central vanities unfold in real life, or seeing the questions he was trying to ask made explicit.

In Ghost Species, it’s a tech billionaire who is behind the project, and indeed the even more ambitious project to recreate the Neanderthals that is at the heart of the book. However, like Colossal, the company behind the project announced last week, its ambitions are not limited to simply recreating mammoths. Instead, the reintroduction of mammoths to the Arctic is part of a latest effort to slow the melting of permafrost and the potentially catastrophic release of large amounts of methane by recreating the ecosystem that existed in the region during the Pleistocene.

The idea is not entirely fanciful: as the tundra warms, trees and moss replace the grassland that once dominated the region; their darker foliage traps heat, while their roots break up the soil, creating a feedback loop that speeds up the warming of the area. At least in theory, mammoths could help slow down this process by chopping down trees and leaving droppings that would fertilize the grass.

Whether this can be done on a large scale or within the necessary time frame seems unlikely. Some scientists estimate that 20,000 years ago there were mammoths up to 200 meters roaming the tundra. Even though the artificial uterus technology suggested by Colossal could be used to create them becomes a reality, that’s a lot of mammoths. Meanwhile, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change identifies permafrost collapse as one of 12 crucial tipping points that have the potential to lead to abrupt climate change.

Colossal’s scheme isn’t quite what it seems either. Despite the talk of de-extinction and resurrected species, they do not offer to clone mammoths from frozen specimens the Jurassic Park style. Instead, their plan is to take DNA from Asian elephants and graft genes into them that will produce woolly hair, increased fat deposits, and possibly longer tusks. This will create a mammoth version of an Asian elephant capable of withstanding arctic conditions.

There are obviously important questions about the ethics of such a regime. Do we have the right to create new species in this way? And even if we do, should we? But there are also other deeper concerns that we must take into account.

Animals are not simply biological machines or the sum of their genetic code. They exist within complex social and biological systems, entangled webs that link them to communities of other species and to their own. They have ways of being in the world, traditions, a culture.

Extinction is also not about the disappearance of the last member of a species – those uniquely grieving beings known as the end – instead, it is happening gradually and shrinking the world in unpredictable ways. As the philosopher Thom van Dooren observed, “Extinction is never a sudden, singular event – something that begins, happens quickly, and then ends”; rather, it is “a slow unwinding of intimately entangled lifestyles that begins long before the death of the last individual and continues to spread long after”.

Seen in this way, it becomes clear that resuscitating a species is not just about recreating the organism. Even assuming Colossal succeeds in creating an animal that resembles a mammoth, he does not to be a mammoth. Instead, it will be something new, a being – and possibly a species – who will have to learn new ways of being in the world if they are to survive.

For many, this will be unthinkable, a symptom of the same thought that got us into this mess in the first place. Yet as the planet is reshaped by global warming and other human impacts, species are disappearing at a terrifying rate. According to recent estimates, up to a million species are threatened with extinction due to human activity.

Most of these species will go almost unnoticed, mourned only by a handful of scientists. Like the climate crisis, halting this wave of extinction requires the transformation of human society and activity. But we will also face difficult choices about how prepared we are to protect endangered species and restore damaged ecosystems.

And whether or not Colossal succeeds in restoring mammoths to the tundra, it seems likely that de-extinction technologies will play a role in this process.

As she led twice-a-year nocturnal expeditions through the Amazon jungle in search of rare species of frogs, Northville native Marcy Sieggreen was focused and fearless, her father Dwight Sieggreen recalls.

“Marcy would always be at the front of the group at the front, even if the jungle was dark and you could hear the sounds of nocturnal jungle animals and insects,” said Dwight Sieggreen, a life science educator at the retired from Northville Public Schools who often accompanied her daughter on Amazonian adventures. “She loved what she was doing so much, she had no hesitation in heading into a dark jungle.”

Marcy Sieggreen’s dedication to her profession was recognized on September 6 when a species of frogs – Allobates sieggreenae – was named in her honor.

“From everything we’ve learned, it’s a very, very rare honor,” said Dwight Sieggreen. “When we got the call that this was happening her mother (Mary) and I shed a few tears. We’re incredibly proud to say the least.”

Until the time of her death, Siegreen was an amphibian curator at the Detroit Zoo. The frog species that now bears his name is endemic to the Peruvian Amazon region where Sieggreen led the Detroit Zoological Society’s participation in an assessment of amphibian populations.

Allobates sieggreenae is endemic to the Peruvian Amazon region where Sieggreen led DZS involvement in an assessment of amphibian populations. The project included field surveys to document species living in multiple sites and testing for chytridiomycosis, a disease that is wiping out amphibian populations across South America and other parts of the world.

“Of all the things that would have made Marcy happy, that would be his great joy,” said Dwight Sieggreen. “It’s an invaluable gift and there are no words to express how grateful we are that she is honored in this way. We knew her love for amphibians and Peru.

“How lucky she was able to combine the two and contribute to the field. We owe a special thank you to everyone who made this recognition possible: the Detroit Zoo family, amphibian scientists and the people of Peru.

Sieggreen oversaw all programs and operations of the Detroit Zoo’s National Amphibian Conservation Center (NACC), including animal care, husbandry, conservation programs, guest experiences, and research.

Sieggreen has also led DZS cooperative breeding efforts for many endangered amphibian species, helping to restore populations in wild habitats. She has served on the board of directors of the International Amphibian Survival Alliance and on several committees of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

Sieggreen also led the Amazon component of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Amphibians assessment.

“Marcy has been an incredible force in the work of DZS to celebrate and save wildlife. His passion for amphibians and their conservation was unmatched, ”said Scott Carter, Director of Life Sciences at DZS. “It is a beautiful tribute for an extraordinary person.”

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Sieggreen was working on a doctorate. in Environmental Sciences from the University of Antioch in New England. She holds a master’s degree in biological sciences from Wayne State University and a bachelor’s degree in earth, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and geography from Eastern Michigan University.

Sieggreen attended Moraine Elementary School in Northville, Meads Mill Middle School and Northville High School.

Contact reporter Ed Wright at [email protected] or 517-375-1113.