De-extinction

De-extinction starts with the genome of a target species, assembled from ancient DNA or inferred by comparing close living relatives. Researchers then edit a living relative's genome toward the target sequence — CRISPR is the main tool — and implant the resulting embryo into a surrogate to gestate. No method produces a perfect replica; the result is a hybrid organism carrying key traits of the extinct species. The hard part is threefold: ancient DNA degrades and is never complete; editing hundreds of loci simultaneously is error-prone; and surrogate gestation outside the original species has rarely worked at scale.