stewartbrand

Fan clubs seem to be developing for various species. We need to find a way to organize them. Carl Zimmer loves the Steller's Sea Cow, and so does George Dyson. You point out an astonishing, um, ground swell for the giant ground sloth. Maybe Reddit can vote these animals back into existence.

"Most valuable" is an essential question, evolving as we speak. For some it would mean "most loved" or "most missed." The ivory-billed woodpecker ranks high there. I'm interested in "most ecologically enriching." That often means "keystone species" or "ecosystem engineer." High ranked there is the woolly mammoth, maker of the "mammoth steppe" in the far north. Also the passenger pigeon, who enriched the entire eastern deciduous forest. Some criteria can be found at the "Revive & Restore" site, here: http://longnow.org/revive/candidates/

I think one valid negative is the question of whether species-revival technology can be used for species-creation. Suppose someone wants to create a duck-sized horse, for example. Or a one-eyed, one-horned flying purple people eater. Norms will emerge, I suppose.

Yes. It's important to ask the mammoth politely, though. Dodos are more likely to ride you.

We would love to have dueling species fan clubs at Revive & Restore. Technical advice welcome!