„Combining the science of genetics with the business of discovery, we endeavor to jumpstart nature’s ancestral heartbeat. To see the Woolly Mammoth thunder upon tundra once again. To advance the economies of biology and healing through genetics. To make humanity more human. And to reawaken the lost wilds of Earth. So we, and our planet, can breathe easier.“ (Website Colossal) With these words, the company Colossal Biosciences advertises its project to bring back extinct animals. But how should this be judged from an ethical and aesthetic point of view?It can be argued that it is of great value to biodiversity and the ecosystem if certain species are resurrected. One can argue with the beauty and strength of the animals that are recolonising our planet. But you can also criticise the fact that resources are being concentrated in the wrong places, namely where the show effect is greatest. And that the ecological balance can also be disturbed, especially as the individuals are not quite what they used to be, neither in their genetics, nor in their anatomy, nor in their phenomenology. This also raises questions about the suffering of the animals, as is the case with torture breeding. Nevertheless, the endeavour is fascinating and rewarding. Such experiments should be possible under the observation and supervision of committees and researchers.

Fig.: Is the woolly mammoth returning?