That’s the question we’ve been asking lately at National Geographic. Our April cover story dives deeply into the question, pointing to new research that might help us bring back animals like passenger pigeon and the woolly mammoth.

It’s easy to see both sides of the argument. Centuries of human civilization have taken a serious toll on  wildlife, driving many species toward extinction at a faster pace than at any point in the planet’s history. What better way to apologize than to give them new life? To, essentially, render them un-extinct?

On the other hand, having the power to bring back species we’ve driven off the planet means that efforts to protect species that are currently imperiled like the polar bear