Bettina Roselt

The government just handed a private company control over the DNA of every endangered species in America. Colossal, a company valued at $10 billion, has just made a deal with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to collect and store DNA from every species protected under the Endangered Species Act. Over 2,300 species. Worldwide. Doug Burgum celebrated the deal, saying "the marvel of 'de-extinction' technology can help forge a future where populations are never at risk." Is that what they want us to believe? That this is a 2026 Noah's Ark, freeze the DNA, and the animals are safe, no matter what happens to their homes? Because right now, this same administration is expanding drilling, mining, and habitat destruction on the exact land these species need to survive. If a species disappears from the wild, this technology gives the government an easy answer: point to a freezer in Dallas and say the DNA is safe. That could make extinction feel less permanent. Something to wait out, instead of something to prevent. But that would be a dangerous logic to accept. A species vanishing from the wild is still a real loss, no matter what's sitting frozen in a warehouse. A real ark saves the animals, but that's only half the story. Even if a species could be brought back someday, what happens if the land it needs is already gone? DNA in a freezer doesn't rebuild a forest. It doesn't restore a wetland. It doesn't undo a mine or an oil well. You can't release an animal back into a home that no longer exists. Is this really conservation? Or is it just permission to destroy the habitat now, and worry about the animals later? #DemsUnited 📷 Colossal Bioscience