Kevin's Watch

A story in today's Guardian newspaper tells us that a bioengineering company has intentions of recreating the extinct dodo from DNA samples we possess and using pigeon eggs (to which bird group the dodo's were related) as vehicles in which to grow the embryos.

The company claims that doing so will provide knowledge pertinent to the conservation of at risk species as well as providing us with an insight into the extinct bird's existence. But other scientists are opposed to such research and there is fierce debate among the community of the ethics of such work.

Certainly, the story has an element of 'Jurassic Park' about it, but that's what makes it interesting.

But what do you think? Should the dodo 'walk the earth' again (appropriate because the bird was flightless) or should it be left to the annals of history and within the dusty corridors of our museums of natural history?

You decide!

They're not dinosaurs. They're an ecologically delicate species that was on the decline and finally wiped out by human incursion in modern times.

If you're going to play this game, this seems like a good pick. There's even a sense of reparations involved.

The real question is, do we want to play this game?

Given the odds of future mass extinctions (climate change, pollution, habitat loss, etc.) this may be a skill worth having if/when we get to the far side of that.

Having the skill, will we be wise with our choices? Hmmm...

Dodo? Hell yeah! ��

They had a great picture of a dodo on the front of the paper - a sort of CGI or real-life model, which was hyper realistic.

It looked rather cute, I have to say, but I'm ashamed to admit that one of the first thoughts that came into my head on looking at it was, "I wonder if that would make good eating?"

peter wrote:They had a great picture of a dodo on the front of the paper - a sort of CGI or real-life model, which was hyper realistic.

It looked rather cute, I have to say, but I'm ashamed to admit that one of the first thoughts that came into my head on looking at it was, "I wonder if that would make good eating?"

I could sure go for a passenger pigeon sandwich right now. Mmmmm...

Let's make dodo.

"Do dodo" ?

Doh!

Go do that dodo that you do so well.

What if they taste like chicken?

Goes without saying.

"If I'd wanted chicken, I would have ordered chicken!"
~ Bobcat Goldthwait

"Bring me four fried chickens and a Coke."
~Elwood

[pedant] Was it not Jake who wanted four whole fried chickens and a Coke, with Elwood ordering dry white toast? [/pedant]

Nevertheless, yay to repartee.

For a take on where genetic recreation of dodoes might lead, consider the dodoes in Bill Holbrook's Safe Havens.

Yes, you are correct. I am but an egg.

Scientist, "This doesn't seem right. The Dodo keeps growing larger than it should and just ate Dr. Williams! Fritz, you gave me the "Raphus cucullatus" DNA sample correct?"

"Raphus cucullatus. Yes. Or maybe it was Gastornis geiselensis? I'm not sure. Too many syllables. It had a picture of a bird with a large beak on the case. Close enough, right?" Fritz replied.

Never in the history of the Watch has such harmony of opinion reigned. Why, one could almost reinvent the Tank in the form of an episode of My Little Pony or the end of a Thomas Covenant series!

I'm off to a bhuddist retreat in hope of a bit of combative cut and thrust - you guys might consider joining twitter in order to pull the stats back into saccharine territory!

+JMJ+

Too big to fly
Dodo ugly, so dodo must die.


Genesis - Dodo / Lurker (Official Audio) [YouTube: 7.5 min]



Clothes of brass and hair of brown
Seldom need to breathe
Don't need no wings to fly
And a heart of stone
And a fear of fire and water
Who am I?

Render unto Darwin that which belongs to Darwin......

Now?

Clothes of brass?....hair of brown?.......

Dodo do what Dodo do.

I happened upon a vid about the Dodo.
Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-I-9SKLkoc