EP11 - Tiny Wild Animals

What happens if you take the world’s biggest, grumpiest, most chaotic animals… and shrink them down to the size of a poodle?In this episode of Brilliant or Bonkers, Mark makes the case for a house-sized safari featuring miniature giraffes, pocket hippos, handbag zebras, and rhinos that can charge your slippers. Amanda, meanwhile, suspects this is how civilisations collapse.But here’s the twist: the science isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds.We explore how CRISPR gene editing actually works, why scientists are trying to bring back the woolly mammoth, and how changing an animal’s DNA is a bit like editing a recipe — switch a few instructions, and you might end up with a cupcake instead of a three-tier cake. Or, apparently, a tiny rhino.Expect chaos, science, laughter, ethical dilemmas, and at least one overturned plant pot.Is a miniature safari in your living room a brilliant idea… or completely bonkers?Join us and decide for yourself.