Connect with us

Published

10 months ago

on

In recent years, advancements in genetic science have brought us startlingly close to the possibility of reviving extinct species such as the woolly mammoth. While this notion sparks the imagination, it also raises significant ethical, ecological, and technological concerns. In 2003, scientists achieved a fleeting success in “de-extinction” by cloning a Pyrenean ibex, a species that had gone extinct. Although the clone survived only briefly due to a lung defect, this event marked the beginning of serious scientific interest in bringing extinct species back to life. Today, the technology has evolved to a point where recreating species that disappeared long ago is becoming a realistic possibility.

The Role of Colossal Biosciences in De-Extinction

A leading player in this scientific endeavour is Colossal Biosciences, a Texas-based company that has set its sights on reviving several iconic species, including the woolly mammoth, the dodo, and the Tasmanian tiger. The company’s strategy involves integrating the genetic material of these extinct species into the genomes of their closest living relatives, with the goal of recreating animals that can play significant roles in their ecosystems.

Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, has indicated that the company could produce a mammoth-like calf as early as 2028. The process involves inserting genes associated with the woolly mammoth’s distinctive traits, such as its thick fur and large tusks, into the genome of the Asian elephant, a close relative. The resultant embryos would then be implanted into a surrogate elephant, or possibly an artificial womb, to grow the hybrid creature.

Ecological Considerations: Restoration or Risk?

The idea behind these de-extinction efforts is not merely to revive ancient species for their own sake but to restore lost ecological functions. For example, woolly mammoths once played a crucial role in maintaining the Arctic grasslands, which are now being lost to shrublands and forests. By reintroducing mammoths, scientists hope to recreate these ecosystems, which could help in carbon storage and combat climate change.

However, the potential risks are significant. Critics argue that ecosystems have adapted to the absence of these species, and reintroducing them could lead to unforeseen and possibly disastrous consequences. There are also concerns about the ethical implications of using endangered species like the Asian elephant as surrogates, which could further threaten their populations.
The Broader Implications and Ethical Debates

The broader implications of de-extinction go beyond the ecological. Some experts caution against the hubris of assuming humans can control such powerful technologies. The possibility of unforeseen consequences is real, and the creation of de-extinct animals could have impacts that we cannot fully predict or manage.

Moreover, the focus on de-extinction has drawn criticism from conservationists who argue that resources would be better spent on protecting the species that are currently endangered. The financial and scientific resources dedicated to reviving extinct species could potentially save hundreds of species that are on the brink of extinction today.

Conclusion: The Uncertain Future of De-Extinction

While the idea of seeing a woolly mammoth walk the Earth again is undoubtedly fascinating, it comes with a host of ethical, ecological, and technological challenges that society must carefully consider. The future of de-extinction is still uncertain, and the potential benefits of these scientific advances are still uncertain compared to the possible risks.

Colossal Biosciences and similar companies may be on the cusp of a groundbreaking achievement, but the full implications of bringing back extinct species are yet to be understood. Whether this scientific pursuit will contribute positively to biodiversity and ecosystem resilience or create new problems is a question that only time can answer.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Science

Hubble finds missing globular cluster in Milky Way’s crowded stellar halo

Published

16 hours ago

on

July 5, 2025

By

Hubble finds missing globular cluster in Milky Way’s crowded stellar halo

A striking new image captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has shed light on an underexplored gatekeeper of our galactic neighbours’ achievements and tragedies. Adorned with multi-hued stars, the spherical cluster glitters amid the expanse of stars in our Milky Way galaxy. This type of globular cluster is a very dense grouping of stars — about the same mass as 100,000 suns — that orbit all around the centre of their galaxy. Stars in a cluster are typically roughly the same age, as they formed from the same collapsing gas cloud. In this new view, stars show up in temperatures indicated in red and blue colours: red for colder and blue for hotter stars.

Hubble Maps Forgotten Star Cluster ESO 591-12 to Uncover Milky Way’s Ancient Stellar Secrets

As per a report from NASA’s Hubble team, ESO 591-12 was imaged during the Hubble Missing Globular Clusters Survey—an initiative targeting 34 Milky Way globular clusters that had never been observed by the space telescope. The aim is to construct a comprehensive database of the ages, distances, and stellar populations of all the galaxy’s known globular clusters and star formations. However, it has always been tough for telescopes on Earth to pick out individual stars in these densely populated regions, so Hubble’s high resolution has done much to finally be able to track the movements of stars to unlock their histories and formation.

The ESO 591-12 data are part of an ongoing study to improve knowledge of the formation and evolution of globular clusters in the galaxy’s bulge and halo. These star clusters are cosmic fossils that have preserved cosmic conditions from the primordial universe. Their work helps build a fuller narrative of the evolution of the Milky Way and how it has changed over billions of years.

This new image is a further example of how advanced space-based observing facilities are helping astronomers to excavate the contents of the dark and dusty skeleton cloaking the Milky Way and sculpt a better understanding of not only the universe’s evolution but also that of our cosmic home.
Each one tells part of the astronomical story, and Hubble is digging out new chapters to enrich the tale, such as probing data for clusters as much as ESO 591-12, which have been mostly neglected until now. This finding adds to our knowledge of the early universe by shining a spotlight on something that was in plain sight.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


Very Massive Stars Blow Away Outer Layers in Powerful Winds Before Black Hole Collapse

Continue Reading

Science

Massive stars shed extreme mass before collapsing into black holes

Published

16 hours ago

on

July 5, 2025

By

Massive stars shed extreme mass before collapsing into black holes

New research indicates that the most monstrously huge stars — those more than 100 times as massive as the sun — shed at least 20 times more matter before they collapse than previously thought to do so as they cool off to become black holes. These stars blow off a significant portion of their outer layers in quite powerful stellar winds over the brief but intense course of their lives, leaving behind low masses at the end. One benefit of this extreme mass loss is that it can account for observed strangeness in stars such as those in the Tarantula Nebula, providing new information on stellar evolution, black hole formation, and sources of gravitational waves.

Hurricane-like Stellar Winds Explain Extreme Mass Loss in Universe’s Most Massive Stars

As per a report from Space.com, researchers used sophisticated models and observations to learn that very massive stars give off winds so powerful they act more like hurricanes than gentle solar breezes. Their results agree very well with observations of WNh-type Wolf-Rayet stars in the Tarantula Nebula, which are hotter and more compact than would be expected by standard models. The improved models explain the very high temperatures at the surface and the stability of hydrogen, which address previous challenges.

One key subject in this study is R136a1 — the most massive known star — with a mass up to 230 times that of the sun. The researchers suggested that it either formed as a single star of around 200 solar masses or as a binary star system where the two stars had a combined mass of about 200 solar masses. In both such cases, the star must have lost a huge amount of mass early in its life, so the findings would call into question how it is that massive stars can live long enough to leave such a wreckage in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

The implications extend to black hole formation as well. More massive stellar winds erode more mass, resulting in the production of smaller black holes and decreasing the chances of creating elusive intermediate-mass black holes. This revision also enhances the matches of the model with the observed gravitational wave signal of a coalescing black hole binary.

Although the models are restricted to stars in the Tarantula Nebula, the researchers stress that in order for their findings to be considered universal, it is important to understand stars in different chemical environments as well. The results not only reshape predictions of black hole populations but may also adjust our understanding of how the most massive stars in the universe live — and die.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


New Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Speeds Through Solar System

Continue Reading

Science

Astronomers Capture First-Ever Image of a Dead Star That Exploded Twice in Rare Supernova Event

Published

23 hours ago

on

July 5, 2025

By

Astronomers Capture First-Ever Image of a Dead Star That Exploded Twice in Rare Supernova Event

For the first time, a team of astronomers has captured a clear image of a white dwarf star that exploded not just once, but twice, as a Type Ia supernova — a “double-detonation” that scientists hadn’t thought possible until now. The extraordinary observation could revise our long-held notions of how stars die, suggesting that some stars can explode as supernovas without ever crossing the Chandrasekhar limit, the minimum mass normally thought necessary for such an explosion. The astronomers employed the Very Large Telescope’s MUSE instrument to zoom in on the four-century-old supernova remnant SNR 0509-67.5, which sits 60,000 light-years away in the constellation Dorado, revealing evidence of two separate blasting catastrophes in its construction.

First Visual Proof Shows White Dwarfs Can Explode Twice Without Reaching Chandrasekhar Limit

As the researchers report on July 2 in Nature Astronomy, the team found a distinctive “fingerprint” in the debris of SNR 0509-67.5 in the Large Magellanic Cloud that the models predicted. White dwarfs—which are the dead stage of sun-like stars—usually blow up into Type Ia supernovas after they hit the Chandrasekhar limit by stealing matter from a neighbouring star.

However, this finding shows that the detonation can be launched at an earlier time. The explosion is likely to have a two-step origin, the team argues, with the initial blast being generated when an unstable layer of helium that the star had acquired exploded on its surface; the resulting shock wave then drove a second and main detonation.

“This physical proof of a double-detonation not only helps solve a long-standing mystery of what causes these explosions, but it represents the most visually compelling evidence for this origin.” Priyam Das, University of New South Wales, team leader and author.

Something is happening to Type Ia supernovas, the “standard candles” used to measure cosmic distances, because their brightness doesn’t fluctuate. But they have long mystified scientists with how they explode. Until this discovery, an explosion white dwarf that didn’t surpass the Chandrasekhar limit was only considered in theory.

This fresh visual evidence for the double detonation model further informs our knowledge of stellar evolution and also informs how we should interpret light from distant supernovas. More than its scientific implications, its discovery adds a colourful new page to the story of dying stars — stars that, as it now appears, will not go gently into that night but will light up the sky twice over in fantastic fireworks before vanishing from the cosmos.

Continue Reading

Trending