The Rosie Tiger

Blog

  • Resurrecting the Dead or Saving the Living? Why Conservation Needs to Concentrate on the Here and Now, Not the Then and There

    Resurrecting the Dead or Saving the Living? Why Conservation Needs to Concentrate on the Here and Now, Not the Then and There

    Scientists in companies such as Colossal Biosciences are employing genetic modification to bring back extinct animals, such as the woolly mammoth. They claim that putting mammoth-style elephants into the Arctic would reverse climate change by enabling grassland to regrow and prevent permafrost melting. With our world in the grip of a climate emergency, however, is this where we should be placing our efforts?

    Instead of bringing back ancient species, we should be focusing on preserving the ecosystems and animals that we do have. The Amazon rainforest, also known as the “lungs of the Earth,” is being cut down quickly by deforestation, agriculture, and illegal logging. The loss isn’t just a local tragedy, it affects the world at large by speeding up climate change and driving thousands of species to extinction. Similarly, the sea is under threat from rising temperatures, acidification, and overfishing. Coral reefs, which contain a quarter of all marine species, are in decline, and entire food chains are being disrupted.

    AI generated image of Wooly Mammoth in the Amazon Rainforest

    De-extinction also raises ethical and practical concerns. The environments that these animals lived in no longer exist in the same form, so their reintroduction is dubious at best. Second, cloning and genetic engineering for conservation are costly, tending to take money away from more direct measures such as habitat restoration and anti-poaching campaigns. Again, I am not opposed to cloning or gene-editing animals for domestic companionship (if people want a glowing cat, well, that’s their prerogative) but applying these technologies to restore species that went extinct thousands of years ago strikes me as more a science-fiction circus act than an actual conservation measure.

    If we are serious about fighting extinction, we ought to be conserving forests and oceans, saving threatened species now—not pinning our hopes on the fantasy of reversing climate change with de-extinction. Real conservation is about doing all we can to preserve what’s here before it’s lost.

    Save the Amazon
    Save the Ocean

    I have no affiliation with the linked entities.

  • Can I be all of myself and make a living?

    Wed, Feb 26, 2025

    The internet isn’t working, so now seems like the perfect time to write.

    I feel guilty—maybe even a little like a failure—for not writing much in February. Until now, I hadn’t published a single blog post all month.

    At the same time, I’m trying to extend myself grace and compassion.

    I’ve been sick for four weeks straight. In the beginning, when I thought it was just a simple sinus and ear infection, I told myself, Oh goodie, no work for a week! I’ll get so much done.

    Ha!

    Turns out, I needed to sleep. I got so miserable that I had no choice but to rest.

    I am horrible at resting. At doing nothing. At giving my brain space to be bored.

    While I was too sick to function, my house became a disaster. So, once I started to feel a little better, I spent my energy slowly restoring order. It wasn’t about productivity—it was about sanity.

    And just as I was recovering, my damaged S1 disc decided to act up. The pain was so bad I couldn’t stand up straight or walk. For two days, I only got up to use the bathroom and grab food.

    Worse than the pain itself was the fear: What if this doesn’t get better? What if I can’t work? No one wants to hire or keep an assistant or childcare specialist who’s viewed as unreliable or unhealthy.

    Living paycheck to paycheck, the constant fear of losing my ability to work—and with it, my home—never really leaves me.

    Fri, March 7, 2025

    I think there’s more to it than what I wrote above.

    Part of the reason I haven’t posted much isn’t just that I’ve been sick or exhausted. It’s that I don’t know what to share.

    Or rather, I want to share everything, but society isn’t very kind to people who don’t fit neatly into its expectations.

    As someone who masks in most situations, I never quite know when it’s safe to unmask.

    Even here, where I’m relatively anonymous, I hesitate. I don’t know if it’s safe to be myself. Or at least, all the parts of myself.

    I could separate things—have different blogs for different aspects of me. Keep everything compartmentalized, curated, digestible.

    But I don’t want to live as a brand. I want to live as a person.

    Can I be all of myself and still make a living?

    Do other people feel this way too?

    Am I alone?

    First blooms of February, Copyright: RosieTiger 2025
    Close up photo of crunchy dried leaf covered forest floor, with purple and yellow crocus flower blooms popping up.

  • Keanu the Cheerleader

    I don’t want to write this post. I don’t want to be vulnerable. Or maybe I do—but the idea is terrifying.

    As I sat with my friend, scrolling through my phone to find my list of potential blog topics, I started telling her about a dream I’d had that morning.

    In the dream, I was navigating an action-movie-style obstacle course. I was crossing a floating chain-link bridge, suspended high in the air, fumbling awkwardly as I went. Below me, Keanu Reeves stood watching. He had already glided across the course with effortless ease.

    But instead of looking smug or indifferent, Keanu was cheering me on. I could hear his voice telling me I was doing a good job. For that moment, Keanu Reeves was my cheerleader.

    And then, the dream shifted. I felt a presence above me—it was the Universe. It spoke to me and said, “I’m going to give you everything you’ve been manifesting. Are you ready?”

    Without hesitation, I shouted back, “Yes! I’m ready. I can handle anything.”

    That feeling of strength and certainty lingered long after I woke up.

    You see, I have been manifesting. I’ve been changing the way I talk, carefully choosing my words, making space for abundance and change. I’ve been putting in the work to reprogram my mindset, and it’s starting to show. My subconscious has finally gotten the message.

    The dream felt like confirmation, like the Universe was giving me a wink. Maybe even a little Keanu cheer.

  • Hello 2025!

    “I am one of those who never knows the direction of my journey until I have almost arrived.” – Anna Louise Strong