Back from the dead: Exploring the cutting edge of de-extinction

At the beginning of the year, the company behind the public effort to de-extinct the wooly mammoth announced it will also be de-extincting the dodo. The announcement stirred up a lot of excitement and questions about whether we can – or should – bring back species once they’re gone.

So this hour we're talking about de-extinction! We’ll hear about what it takes to bring back extinct animals, efforts to build a safety net for plants that might go extinct in the future, and walk through some fun de-extinction thought experiments.

GUESTS:

• Helen Pilcher: Science and comedy writer with a PhD in cell biology who wrote Bring Back the King: The New Science of De-extinction
• Ben Lamm: CEO of the de-extinction company Colossal, which he co-founded with George Church.
• Carlos de la Rosa: President and CEO of the Center for Plant Conservation

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

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Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired on May 18, 2023.

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