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. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired on May 18, 2023.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.