A Harvard genetics professor says that he could clone a Neanderthal baby from fossil DNA鈥攁ssuming he could find a woman willing to carry it to term. George Church told German magazine Der Spiegel . “I have already managed to attract enough DNA from fossil bones to reconstruct the DNA of the human species largely extinct. Now I need an adventurous female human,” he said.
If you’re questioning whether it’s really a good idea to revive a species that competed with homo sapiens for territory, you’re not alone. Cloning humans for reproductive purposes is illegal in Britain, Canada, Australia, and 13 U.S. states, and is widely considered unethical among geneticists.
But Church argues that Neanderthals could have a different way of thinking that might benefit humanity in an apocalyptic event.
When the time comes to deal with an epidemic or getting off the planet or whatever, it鈥檚 conceivable that their way of thinking could be beneficial. They could maybe even create a new neo-Neanderthal culture and become a political force. The main goal is to increase diversity. The one thing that is bad for society is low diversity.
Or they could take over, become the dominant race, and hunt us for sport. Or whatever.
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