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Ancestor of Galapagos tortoises to be resurrected from extinction

A tortoise hunted to extinction before Darwin ever arrived on the Galapagos could be brought back to life thanks to new genetic research.

“Theoretically, we can rescue a species that has gone extinct,” said Adalgisa Caccone, senior author of the study. “Our lab calls it the Lazarus project.”   The only catch is that the project could take over 100 years to complete because tortoises have such long life spans. But the project could serve as a model for how to revive other extinct species that have surviving lineages too.   If the plan is initiated, a genetically identical member of C. elephantopus could once again walk along the shores of the Galapagos islands, over 300 years after its last ancestors were taken away.