Quanta Magazine: "Why ‘De-Extinction’ Is Impossible (But Could Work Anyway)" by Yasemin Saplakoglu

Writing in Quanta Magazine, Yasemin Saplakoglu explains some approaches to the idea of resurrecting extinct species such as the mammoth or the dodo. She finds that for many researchers, it doesn't matter so much whether it is technically possible or not:

Most de-extinction researchers aren’t looking to resurrect a charismatic ancient beast just for the sake of putting it into the nearest zoo for viewer pleasure. Rather, they are aiming to create proxies for educational or conservation purposes, such as to fill the void left by their extinct counterparts in ecosystems or to boost the numbers of modern-day endangered species.

Full article here.