Can extinct animals be brought back?

Yes — but usually not as exact copies of the original extinct animal. What scientists can sometimes aim for are de-extinction proxies: living animals that are genetically edited or selectively bred to resemble an extinct species.

Main approaches include:

1. Genome editing (like CRISPR): Scientists compare DNA from an extinct species with that of a close living relative and edit selected traits into the relative’s genome.
2. Cloning: This only works if intact living cells are available from a recently extinct animal. A famous example is the Pyrenean ibex, which was cloned in 2003, but the clone survived only briefly.
3. Back-breeding: Closely related modern animals are selectively bred over generations to recover traits of an extinct ancestor. For example, some projects have tried to breed cattle with aurochs-like traits.

Some species people often discuss in de-extinction efforts include the woolly mammoth, thylacine, dodo, and passenger pigeon. Progress and feasibility vary a lot by species, and these efforts are usually about creating a close stand-in rather than restoring the exact original species.

As for dinosaurs, bringing back non-avian dinosaurs is effectively impossible. Their DNA is far too old and degraded to recover usable genetic material.

So the short answer is: partly, for some recently extinct species or close proxies; no, not for something like Jurassic Park dinosaurs.

De-extinction is also controversial, and many critics argue conservation money is better spent protecting species that are still alive.