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Should we bring Dinosaurs back to life?

Should we bring Dinosaurs back to life?

  • Total voters
    19
Sauron97

Sauron97

TS Member
"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should"
Dr Malcolm poses a deep and interesting point here about Science vs Ethics and how far it should go, from his perspective as a person who specializes in chaos theory.
Let's forget the could, and assume that a method has been found to bring back near accurate (as in the case in the Jurassic park novels/films where gaps in the code of their damaged DNA strands were filled in with the DNA of non-extinct animals) or absolutely accurate clones of Dinosaurs. We're able to have a real life Jurassic park full of Dinosaur enclosures and exhibitions, along side Theme parks and a giant hotel complex. The most important question then arises. Is it right? Is it playing god? What if it all goes wrong? What are the impacts of new ecosystems if prehistoric plants are also brought back?
Arguments for:
-If successful on any level, it allows us to study Dino behavior and psychology in ways that is impossible with fossil evidence
-The revenue it would generate would be beyond imagination when it is first conceived
-It is a stepping stone for even further scientific progress further down the line
-It's a clone of an animal that has already existed, so in one sense it is not dabbling in trying to create a new form of life
-It would be exciting and fun, so long as you don't get eaten, to visit an enclosure for a Spinosaurus, Carcharadontosaurus, T-rex, Velociraptor , Baryonyx, Brachiosaur ect ect , maybe even go as far as doing some of the stuff they do in Jurassic World, where you can play with Dinosaurs and watch displays
Arguments against:
-Is it right to have this kind of power and responsibility? It's really the fundamental question here.
-Can these animals be contained, or will 'life find a way' If it's in a tropical area, then you've got the risk of storm systems passing over that could damage electric fences, injure people and let the Dinosaurs loose
-Risk of new diseases that these Dinosaurs could bring, we don't want a Pandemic
-If your biotech got in the wrong hands, it could spell a lot of danger

Personally, I'm not sure where I stand, part of me wants to see a T-rex in the flesh and blood so bad, and then when I take it more seriously and bring in the ethics, I sense doubt and concern for the wider implications of this. It's kind of obvious why I'm posing these questions haha, with the new film just about to be released and the new sim game by Frontier (Who happened to the be the guys behind Rct3 and Planet coaster) about to come out, but tech is constantly evolving and improving, and I'll bet that they will bring the Wooly Mammoth back in the next couple of decades so it definitely isn't something off the table.
 
I think Jurassic park is a well known interpretation of what could happen, but I think some of it is deliberately done for storytelling and theatricality as a sort of pseudo-proof of chaos theory. Like the Ford Explorers stopping outside the t rex enclosure and Nedry being the only guy responsible for the fences. In real life, I think it'd be more likely that they broke down in one of those large tunnels but that would be boring ergo no film or book. And a real life Jurassic park in 1993 would have far more layers of security, not just loads of electric fences and one guy sitting on his ass all day to handle it all! As for Jurassic World, that place had everything I'm talking about, but they went too far and started breeding crazy hybrids like Indo rex that could pretty much never be enclosed safely.
 
We rewatched the first film on the weekend. It turns out the original film does a pretty good job of answering the dino rights question. All of the dinosaurs have gaps in their DNA and are filled with frog DNA. Anything they create from that sense is a Frankenstein's monster. If we have access to saving animals and reviving species, we should focus on those that mankind has stripped of this earth and correcting our mistakes. Rather than trying to revive species that were wiped out because they didn't adapt to a changing environment. Or evolved from something awesome to rubbish birds :p

That being said I'd trade a Dodo for a stygimoloch if possible :)

@KingNemesis after your review on the film thread I figured you might want to chime in on this.
 
I suppose I could do ;)

I personally think that if Dinosaurs were brought back to life in the modern age we would be having discussions about their rights, do we treat them like we treat dogs, cats etc. or the same as any endangered species. It is a pretty interesting thought. Yeah, I think if we should revive anything it should be as you say, @Robert Jones, animals that we eradicated rather than ones that sound cool!
 
SPOILERS FOR FALLEN KINGDOM
I've finally watched JW Fallen Kingdom, and I've got to say, looking at all the previous films, it was all leading up to this! Planet of the ̶a̶p̶e̶s̶ dinosaurs has finally arrived!
But again, I stand by what I said, I think the film is an attempt to prove chaos theory and goes overboard with unrealistic dramatic scenarios in order to make this proof. Too many wrong events and evil people, too many mistakes. and too many crazy situations for it to be considered realistic for me! So this film does not sway me.
Now, on the big question. We breed animals for slaughter, we breed them for pets and companions and create nature reserves and ecosystems to suit ourselves and our ideals. Outside of biology, we do exactly the same! I don't see why cloning Dinosaurs breaches any of the ethical rules that we as a society have already set! So long as we look after the creatures responsibly and ensure they live good quality lives, why not. Think of the opportunities :)
 
Reckon we should plough ahead with it full steam immediately tbh
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ah, not a bad meme :) But on a serious note, it's a situation that we might be facing in the future, so if you've got an opinion on it, feel free to let loose.
I'm back and forth on this whole thing be honest. Sometimes I disagree with it, and sometimes I think it has its uses
 
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