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For thousands of years, a species of elephant-sized cows, called "aurochs," roamed throughout the wilds of Europe. The last of the aurochs died in Poland in 1627 after humans drove the

mega-bovines to extinction. Today, the effects of an auroch-less ecosystem are felt throughout Europe, CNN writes: "Conservationists now believe the loss of the keystone herbivore was tragic

for biodiversity in Europe, arguing that the aurochs' huge appetite for grazing provided a natural 'gardening service' that maintained landscapes and created the conditions for other

species to thrive."

So why not ... bring the aurochs back? It's not science-fiction — in fact, the plan is in the works right now. But instead of trying to use DNA to recreate the aurochs, à la Jurassic Park,

scientists are "backbreeding" the aurochs' modern-day relative: the cow.

A photo posted by Aurélie Bouuh (@aureliebouuh) on Dec 17, 2016 at 9:25am PST

Of course, cows can't exactly become aurochs again, much less transform overnight. Ecologist Ronald Goderie is instead working to create the next best thing, the "Tauros," which is a "near

100 percent substitute" of the auroch. To do so, Goderie and his team are strategically breeding modern cows that have remnants of the aurochs' genes in order to work toward the purest

possible final product. That will take about seven generations, by ecologists' estimates, which means the "completed" Tauros will be born sometime around 2025. Today, the Tauros are in their

fourth generation.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has

appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.