De-extinct
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Part of speech verb
Quick meaning: De-extinct is a verb meaning (biology, neologism, transitive) To return an extinct species back into the world.
Meaning
(biology, neologism, transitive) To return an extinct species back into the world.
Example Sentences
Revive & Restore, a branch of the Long Now Foundation, is currently attempting to de-extinct the passenger pigeon in a project called The Great Comeback.
From a technical perspective, de-extincting a Neanderthal would be the easiest task of all, for human reproduction is extremely well understood, and the Neanderthal genome is known.
A species of wolf that died out some 12,500 years ago lives again as the “world’s first successfully de-extincted animal,” according to Dallas-based biotech company Colossal Biosciences.
In 2012, Australian researchers briefly de-extincted an amphibian they dubbed ‘the Lazarus frog’ (Rheobatrachus silus), an unusual creature with one hell of a party trick (to find out what it was, you’ll have to read Chapter 5).
Word Forms
- de-extincts
- de-extincting
- de-extincted
Synonyms for de-extinct
Depending on context, synonyms include unextinct.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include repopulate, rewild, revert, renaturalize, reexoticize, dezombify.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.