The Problem with "De-Extinction" | New [OFFICE HOURS] #007

Quick Overview

The hosts conclude that de-extinction efforts, like bringing back mammoths or dinosaurs, are unlikely to be successful or ecologically sound in the near future because the necessary supporting infrastructure, such as specialized food sources or controlled environments, does not exist, and the current state of science (especially concerning complex ecosystems) is insufficient for such feats, making projects like Jurassic Park-style cloning unfeasible.

Key Points: The 7/10 rule suggests that for every seven factors increasing risk after a nuclear detonation, only one factor decreases the risk, highlighting the long-term danger of radiation fallout. The podcast hosts discuss the potential for de-extinction, specifically mentioning the long half-life of radioactive isotopes like Cesium-137, which contaminates areas for hundreds of years. The hosts question the feasibility of de-extinction, noting that bringing back an animal like a woolly mammoth would require complex infrastructure, such as tailored environments and food sources, which do not exist today. The concept of de-extinction is deemed likely to be more focused on recent extinctions (like passenger pigeons) than prehistoric ones (like mammoths) due to DNA degradation over vast timescales. The host Kyle Hill points out that much of the current AI-generated science content on platforms like YouTube is low-quality, clickbait-driven, or outright false, making it hard to find reliable information. The discussion touches upon the ethical issue of ecosystem balance, questioning if bringing back an extinct species would disrupt current ecological systems. The conversation concludes that while quantum computing shows exponential growth, the current state of science and infrastructure makes large-scale, complex de-extinction highly improbable.

Context: The hosts, Kyle Hill and Clayton Lundgren, are recording an episode of their podcast, 'The Facility,' under the 'Office Hours' segment, where they answer audience questions submitted via Patreon. The discussion revolves around a listener's question concerning the ethics and practicality of de-extinction, specifically referencing the fictional tool used by Benjamin Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to shave, and whether de-extinction is a viable future technology.