Revive & Restore is a nonprofit wildlife conservation organization focused on use of biotechnology in conservation. Headquartered in Sausalito, California, the organization's mission is to enhance biodiversity through the genetic rescue of endangered and extinct species.[2][3] The organization was founded by Stewart Brand and his wife, Ryan Phelan.

Revive & Restore
Founded2012
FoundersRyan Phelan and Stewart Brand
Type501(c)(3) Non-profit Organization
FocusGenetic rescue of endangered and extinct species
Location
Area served
Global
Revenue
$5.5 million in 2022[1]
Websitereviverestore.org

Revive & Restore has created a "Genetic Rescue Toolkit" for wildlife conservation – a suite of biotechnology tools adapted from human medicine and commercial agriculture that can improve wildlife conservation outcomes.[4][5][6] The toolkit includes biobanking and cell culturing, genetic sequencing, and advanced reproductive technologies, such as cloning. The toolkit complements traditional conservation practices, such as captive breeding and habitat restoration.[citation needed]

Revive & Restore has caused controversy. In particular, Brand's work in de-extinction has been characterized as "playing god" and criticized for taking time and money away from traditional conservation efforts.[7][8][9] In addition, many are concerned by the concept of cloning, even in the context of conservation.[10][11][12]

History

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Revive & Restore was co-founded in 2012 by Stewart Brand and Ryan Phelan with the idea of bringing biotechnology solutions to conservation.[13] The group was incubated by the Long Now Foundation until 2017, when it became an independent 501(c)(3) organization.

In 2013 Revive & Restore organized the first public meeting on de-extinction.[14] Their founding projects include the de-extinction of the passenger pigeon,[15] heath hen,[16] and woolly mammoth.[17] Since then, Revive & Restore has established partnerships with research institutions, governmental agencies, and conservation organizations on a broad range of genetic rescue programs.[citation needed]

Revive & Restore is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and has long-standing partnerships with the US Fish & Wildlife Service, The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Morris Animal Foundation, and ViaGen Pets & Equine, among others.[citation needed]

Programs

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Advanced Coral Toolkit

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The Advanced Coral Toolkit supports research teams in the development and field testing of biotechnologies that benefit coral reef management and restoration efforts. Projects include coral cryopreservation methods for large scale biobanking[18] and fieldable devices for measuring genetic information or molecular signals associated with coral stress.[19] Launched in 2019, the program has funded 10 research teams.[20]

Wild Genomes

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Wild Genomes is a funding program to provide genomic tools to field scientists, wildlife managers, and citizens working to protect their local biodiversity. As of 2023, Wild Genomes has funded 30 individual projects. Program categories include Terrestrial Species, Marine Species, Amphibians,[21] and Kelp Ecosystems[22]

Cloning for conservation

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To help mitigate inbreeding depression for two endangered species, the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) and Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), Revive & Restore facilitates on-going efforts to clone individuals from historic cell lines stored at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Frozen Zoo.

On December 10, 2020, the world's first cloned black-footed ferret was born. This ferret, named Elizabeth Ann, marked the first time a U.S. endangered species was successfully cloned.[23]

On August 6, 2020, the world's first cloned Przewalski’s horse was born.[24][25][26] Since the oocyte used was from a domestic horse, this was an example of interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT).[27] In 2022, the horse, named Kurt, was paired with a female Przewalski's horse at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Safari Park to learn the behaviors of his species.[28] On February 17, 2023, a second cloned Przewalski's horse was born from the same historic cell line.[29][30] Kurt and the new foal are genetic twins that may become the first cloned animals to restore lost genetic variation to their species.[31]

Intended Consequences Initiative

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In 2020, Revive & Restore developed a campaign around the concept of "Intended Consequences" – focusing on the benefits of conservation interventions, as opposed to focusing on the fears of unintended consequences.[32] That year, Revive & Restore hosted a virtual workshop that resulted in the publication of a special issue in the journal Conservation Science and Practice.[33]

References

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  1. ^ "IRS 990 Form" (PDF).
  2. ^ "What we do". Revive&Restore. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  3. ^ Using Technology to Reverse Extinction. The Atlantic. 14 October 2016.
  4. ^ Novak, Ben J.; Maloney, Tom; Phelan, Ryan (February 2018). "Advancing a New Toolkit for Conservation: From Science to Policy". The CRISPR Journal. 1 (1): 11–15. doi:10.1089/crispr.2017.0019. eISSN 2573-1602. ISSN 2573-1599. PMID 31021184.
  5. ^ "The Genetic Rescue Toolkit". Revive&Restore. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  6. ^ Piaggio, Antoinette J.; Segelbacher, Gernot; Seddon, Philip J.; Alphey, Luke; Bennett, Elizabeth L.; Carlson, Robert H.; Friedman, Robert M.; Kanavy, Dona; Phelan, Ryan; Redford, Kent H.; Rosales, Marina; Slobodian, Lydia; Wheeler, Keith (February 2017). "Is It Time for Synthetic Biodiversity Conservation?". Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 32 (2): 97–107. Bibcode:2017TEcoE..32...97P. doi:10.1016/j.tree.2016.10.016. ISSN 0169-5347. PMID 27871673.
  7. ^ Yin, Steph (20 March 2017). "We Might Soon Resurrect Extinct Species. Is It Worth the Cost?". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  8. ^ Ehrlich, Paul; Ehrlich, Anne H. "The Case Against De-Extinction: It's a Fascinating but Dumb Idea". Yale E360. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  9. ^ O'Malley, Sheila. "We Are As Gods movie review & film summary (2022)". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  10. ^ Leah Worthington (17 September 2021). "De-extinction Could Reverse Species Loss. But Should We Do It?". Cal Alumni Association, UC Berkeley.
  11. ^ W.S. Roberts (19 October 2020). "The Booming Call of De-extinction". The Scientist.
  12. ^ "Should genetic engineering be used as a tool for conservation?". IEMA. 29 September 2017.
  13. ^ John Markoff (Apr 19, 2021). "The Butterfly Effect". Alta.
  14. ^ Novak, Ben (13 November 2018). "De-Extinction". Genes. 9 (11): 548. doi:10.3390/genes9110548. eISSN 2073-4425. PMC 6265789. PMID 30428542.
  15. ^ "Bringing back the Passenger Pigeon". Revive&Restore. Feb 8, 2012.
  16. ^ Noah Asimow (22 August 2019). "By Land and Sea, Looking to Restore a Planet in Crisis". The Vineyard Gazette.
  17. ^ Nathaniel Rich (Feb 27, 2014). "The Mammoth Cometh". NY Times.
  18. ^ Powell-Palm, Matthew J.; Henley, E. Michael; Consiglio, Anthony N.; Lager, Claire; Chang, Brooke; Perry, Riley; Fitzgerald, Kendall; Daly, Jonathan; Rubinsky, Boris; Hagedorn, Mary (2023-03-06), Cryopreservation and revival of Hawaiian stony corals via isochoric vitrification (PDF), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, doi:10.1101/2023.03.05.531199
  19. ^ Meng, Zhuolun; Williams, Amanda; Liau, Pinky; Stephens, Timothy G.; Drury, Crawford; Chiles, Eric N.; Su, Xiaoyang; Javanmard, Mehdi; Bhattacharya, Debashish (2022-08-24). "Development of a portable toolkit to diagnose coral thermal stress". Scientific Reports. 12 (1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 14398. Bibcode:2022NatSR..1214398M. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-18653-3. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 9402530. PMID 36002502.
  20. ^ "Advanced Coral Toolkit". Revive & Restore. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  21. ^ "Morris Animal Foundation and Revive & Restore Announce New Partnership". Morris Animal Foundation. 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  22. ^ "Morris Animal Foundation accepting genetic research proposals for kelp forest species". Veterinary 33 (in Italian). 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  23. ^ Magazine, Smithsonian; Fox, Alex (2021-02-22). "Elizabeth Ann Is the First Cloned Black-Footed Ferret". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  24. ^ Morris-Grant, Brianna (2023-01-28). "San Diego Zoo announces birth of critically endangered Przewalski's horse, cloned using 42-year-old DNA - ABC News". ABC. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  25. ^ Daisy Hernandez (Oct 26, 2020). "Scientists Cloned the Most Endangered Horse in the World—From 40-Year-Old DNA". Popular Mechanics.
  26. ^ Tian, X. Cindy; Kubota, Chikara; Enright, Brian; Yang, Xiangzhong (2003-11-13). "Cloning animals by somatic cell nuclear transfer – biological factors". Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology. 1 (1): 98. doi:10.1186/1477-7827-1-98. ISSN 1477-7827. PMC 521203. PMID 14614770.
  27. ^ Lagutina, Irina; Fulka, Helena; Lazzari, Giovanna; Galli, Cesare (October 2013). "Interspecies Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer: Advancements and Problems". Cellular Reprogramming. 15 (5): 374–384. doi:10.1089/cell.2013.0036. ISSN 2152-4971. PMC 3787369. PMID 24033141.
  28. ^ "World's First Successfully Cloned Endangered Przewalski's Horse Now Learning the Language of Wild Horses". San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. 2022-09-27. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  29. ^ Segura, Daniella (2023-09-08). "Rare horse — 'thriving' at new CA home. See 'energetic' foal". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  30. ^ Black, Abbie (2023-04-19). "Second Przewalski horse born from cloning". cbs8.com. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  31. ^ "A New Cloned Horse Offers Hope for Endangered Species". WIRED. 2023-05-04. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  32. ^ Phelan, Ryan (2021-09-22). "Ryan Phelan: The intended consequences of helping nature thrive". TED. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  33. ^ "Issue Information". Conservation Science and Practice. 3 (4). Wiley. 2021. doi:10.1111/csp2.226. ISSN 2578-4854. S2CID 243515255.
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