In the film Jurassic Park, the prominent scientist Dr. Ian Malcolm (played marvelously by Jeff Goldbum), uttered the now famous phrase, "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."

The premise of that film is that scientists resurrected several species of dinosaurs from DNA strands and, well… Let's just say things didn't end too well!

But today this may become a reality as “resurrection science” is gaining speed, and funding. One day in the near future we may be able to see live Wooly Mammoths, Dodos, and Tasmanian Devils with our own eyes!

Within a decade or less, the world may see approximations of creatures only known from black-and-white photographs, taxidermy museum exhibits, and fossilized skeletons, with the ultimate goal of restoring the fauna to their natural habitat.

Advocates say resurrecting extinct animals is attracting new investors with deep pockets to conservation. The scientific field pushes the boundaries of biotechnology in a way that will make it possible to save other species on the brink and offers a promising way to better protect and preserve present-day ecosystems, ultimately making them more resilient to the climate crisis.

Skeptics, however, argue the efforts are an underscrutinized pet project of millionaires, whose money could be spent more effectively elsewhere. Detractors also assert that scientists will only ever be able to engineer unsatisfactory imitations of extinct animals.

Regardless of which side of science you stand on, I think we can all agree that we hope this turns out to be nothing like the ending of Jurassic Park!