About De-Extinction of Animals at Springbok Online Casino!

Editing can transform average gambling software into a high-end online casino.  It can create a best-selling novel from error-ridden content.  When applied to the DNA sequencing of elephants and numbats… it is resurrectionist science at its most peculiar!

The ‘Art’ of De-Extinction

When you think of resurrectionist science, you probably have the biblical reference in mind.  In essence, that is not too far from the truth.  Rather than focussing on developing technologies capable of resurrecting just one man, scientists are throwing the net a little wider.

Unlike the online casino, which in its most sophisticated form looks like Springbok Casino, resurrectionist science is in development.  By all accounts, it is in the beta phase.  At this stage of the lifecycle, bugs are identified and ironed out.  ‘Testing’ is the keyword in this phase.

The end goal of resurrectionist science is de-extinction.  It is the revival and rebirth of animals that have long since disappeared into obscurity.  Think extinction and glorious beasts like sabre-tooth tigers, woolly mammoths, dodos and Tasmanian tigers no doubt spring to mind.

If all goes according to plan, game drives on the tundra to spy 4-metre tall, 5,443-kilogram woolly behemoths may soon be on the bucket list.  It is not only the woolly mammoth that is getting all the attention.  The apex predator of Australia, the thylacine or Tasmanian tiger is one step closer to terrorising the wild occupants of Down Under… once again.

Passenger pigeons are pencilled in to fly the coop by 2025.  Even the dodo, with its prehistoric beak, large plump body and flightless disposition, may soon be the predominant avian inhabitant of Mauritius.  South Africa’s quagga, with its zebrine facial features and ass-like behind is also due for a comeback.

Fragmented DNA – or Online Casino Code – is the Answer to (Re)Development

When it comes to developing an online casino, all it takes is a few lines of code.  When cobbled together, these fragmented bits and bytes produce an agile and responsive digital platform.  Toss in the gaming algorithms and random number generator software and you have a sleek desktop- and smartphone-driven destination in Springbok Casino!

Our online casino is obviously not an example of de-extinction or resurrectionist science.  Rather it is the development of something new and exciting – using nothing more than data sets expressed as sequences of 0 and 1.  That said, the art of de-extinction is also based on fragments and tiny cells.

Scientists agree that if technologies allow, extinct animals should be resurrected.  What they don’t agree on is the method of resurrection.  Actually, that is not quite true.  Scientists are using different methods of de-extinction purely because they can only work with what they have got.

Cloning and Surrogacy

At this point in time, there are three possible interventions that have the potential to bring animals back from the deadest dead.  The first is cloning, where scientists make exact genetic copies of genes, cells and tissues.  The big problem here is cloning only works when there is a living template.

Enter the Tasmanian tiger and a Victorian era pup that was removed from its mother’s pouch and popped directly into formaldehyde.  This ghoulish ‘exhibit’ is now the key to the resurrection of the thylacine.  Stem cells harvested from the pup have formed the basis of the tiger’s resurgent DNA.

The aim is to manufacture an embryo and deposit it into the uterus of a close living relative.  It is a bit like the cuckoo, which lays its eggs in the robin’s nest.  In the case of the thylacine, the numbat or mouse-like long-tailed dunnart has been proposed as a surrogate.

Can you imagine how the poor dunnart will feel when its ‘offspring’ grows to ten times her size… and probably eats her for dinner!  It is a bit like an RTG online casino slot game outgrowing Springbok Casino.  There is no happy ending!

Editing of DNA

The second technique scientists have adopted in their de-extinction campaigns is gene editing.  What this involves is creating genome sequences of living animals with similar physical features to the deceased.  Once that has been achieved, the genes closely associated to the characteristics of the animal they are trying to resurrect are identified.

In the case of the woolly mammoth, for instance, it is the large, high forehead and shaggy coat.  In this de-extinction technique, the genetic makeup of an Asian elephant is in the process of being edited to resemble that of a woolly mammoth.

The new creature would not be a mammoth.  It would be a hybrid pachyderm – in other words, an Asian elephant with overt characteristics of a woolly mammoth.

Similarly, a resurrected passenger pigeon would be an ordinary pigeon.  The only difference is its colouring would be genetically tweaked to display the trademark iridescent bronze feathers on the neck and large black spots on the wings.

Editing the software of an online casino would have similar results.  The purpose and architecture of the digital gaming platform would remain the same.  Overt design elements, like the skin and online casino game thumbnails, would however change – but fundamental gameplay would remain the same!

Back Breeding to the Original

The third and final technique used in the de-extinction of animals is back-breeding.  This technique is based on selective breeding, where males and females, which exhibit close characteristics of the extinct animal, are mated.

Back-breeding is the backbone of the quagga resurrection project in South Africa.  In this scenario, zebras with indistinct or absent stripes on the rear are being bred in captivity.  The idea is to refine each generation until the closest thing to the quagga is born.

The results may be markedly different but the raw material and techniques used in developing an online casino and resurrecting extinct animals are surprisingly closely connected.

Can you bet real money on the genetic architecture of a Hispaniola monkey, giant sea mink or Chinese paddlefish?  Hardly.  That said, if you are brave and adventurous enough, you can wager on the prospect of one or more of the current de-extinction projects actually bearing fruit!

Login to Springbok Casino for Free Gaming… On-Demand

Enjoying the myriad benefits of an online casino does not require gene editing, back breeding or cloning.  What is does involve is a few minutes of your time as you register an account at Springbok Casino.  Once the admin is done and dusted, you can login, redeem our no deposit bonus code and play the best RTG online casino games… for FREE!