Are Dire Wolves Back? The Science & Ethics of De-Extinction episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 15, 2025 · 20 MIN

Are Dire Wolves Back? The Science & Ethics of De-Extinction

from Off the Radar · host The National Weather Desk

In Jurassic Park, scientists bio-engineered dinosaurs by splicing preserved dino DNA with modern-day frog DNA. It sounded like science fiction…until now. A real-life biotech company with visions of “de-extinction” recently spliced gray wolf DNA with that of the dire wolf, a mammal that’s been extinct for thousands of years. And they have plans to do the same thing with other extinct species. This week we’re going off the radar with Dr. Jay Odenbaugh, a professor and researcher who specializes in the ethics of de-extinction. We’ll discuss what this company did, and what the implications might mean. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Jurassic Park, scientists bio-engineered dinosaurs by splicing preserved dino DNA with modern-day frog DNA. It sounded like science fiction…until now. A real-life biotech company with visions of “de-extinction” recently spliced gray wolf DNA with that of the dire wolf, a mammal that’s been extinct for thousands of years. And they have plans to do the same thing with other extinct species. This week we’re going off the radar with Dr. Jay Odenbaugh, a professor and researcher who specializes in the ethics of de-extinction. We’ll discuss what this company did, and what the implications might mean. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

NOW PLAYING

Are Dire Wolves Back? The Science & Ethics of De-Extinction

0:00 20:11

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Off the Radar?

This episode is 20 minutes long.

When was this Off the Radar episode published?

This episode was published on April 15, 2025.

What is this episode about?

In Jurassic Park, scientists bio-engineered dinosaurs by splicing preserved dino DNA with modern-day frog DNA. It sounded like science fiction…until now. A real-life biotech company with visions of “de-extinction” recently spliced gray wolf DNA with...

Can I download this Off the Radar episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!