Scientists Look To Use Stem-Cells To Save Near-Extinct Rhinos

Science can do wonderful things, from giving people the ability to walk again to saving their sight. While it is mostly used these days to protect people and improve their lifestyles, science could soon be saving an entire species of Rhinos from extinction.

The Rhinos in question are northern white rhinoceros and with only three members left of the species, they are all but extinct. With no way of breeding normally, the rhinos are going to have to rely on technology to save their species from fading into history. The plan is to transform a selection of cells, both living and frozen, into stem cells. The stem cells would then be used for creating eggs and sperm for use in invitro fertilization (IVF) which would then be incubated inside a surrogate southern white rhino.

The hope is that by generating a selection of northern white rhinos through this process, the species will not come back from the brink of extinction but will also allow the creation of a “self-sustaining population of an extremely endangered species”. While not exclusively for white northern rhinos, the authors of the proposed actions are confident that the same technique could be used to save other species from extinctions, hoping to end a list of global extinctions with a little help from mankind.