Just the phrase “dire wolf de-extinction” evokes many things including Game of Thrones. It seems very cool. However, the new claim by biotech Colossal Biosciences that they brought back these unique canines (they were real but are now extinct) seems to me about as real as those giant mythical canines on the TV show. Yet […]
Calling out colossal baloney on supposed dire wolf de-extinction Read More »
I first learned about woolly dogs when researching woolly mammoth de-extinction. It turns out that there are or were many woolly creatures besides sheep. If you have to de-extinct something, I say let’s try to bring back the woolly dog and forget the mammoths. More on that in a minute. What are woolly dogs? Woolly
What were woolly dogs and should they be de-extincted over mammoths? Read More »
Biologist and ancient DNA expert Beth Shapiro is becoming more well known for doing de-extinction research. Yet Shapiro used to be a de-extinction skeptic. Ten years ago she wrote “How to Clone a Mammoth.” In the book she mentioned serious challenges related to de-extinction. Now she is the CSO for a firm trying to make
Weekly reads: Beth Shapiro & de-extinction, mice with two dads, stem cell patches Read More »
Last week one of the most popular stories was about a preprint from a mammoth de-extinction research group led by George Church having made elephant stem cells. I finally got a chance to look carefully at their preprint. Elephant stem cells preprint and mammoth de-extinction The elephant stem cells preprint has solid data. It looks like
Weekly reads: elephant stem cells, RIP Connie Eaves, AI cell biology Read More »
What is a woolly dog? Is it somehow related to the Woolly Mammoth? Before we get into that and the rest of my recommended reads, note that I’m finalizing my list of contenders for this year’s The Screamers Science Hype Awards. Last year The BBC won The Screamers for an article “Baby’s life ‘probably saved’
Holiday reads: woolly dog vs. mammoth, man eggs, designer B-cells, bluebird bio blues Read More »
I don’t think de-extinction of animals just for the heck of it like woolly mammoths is a good idea, but what about de-extincting animals like the Dodo? Where humans caused them to disappear? If that’s even possible, is it a good idea? Dodo de-extinction A company is giving it a try. I can see the
Weekly reads: De-extinction pros & cons with Dodo 2.0, CTCF, retraction Read More »
The push for de-extinction of woolly mammoths is a perfect example of when one notion can be both fun and a rotten idea. You can’t let the coolness push you down a bad path. You can see my new YouTube video covering the main points of this post from our YouTube channel further down. Please
Why De-extinction of Woolly Mammoths is Still a Bad Idea Read More »
The title of a new article in Stem Cells and Development may seem audacious to those unfamiliar with the plight of the northern white rhino and the promise of induced pluripotent stem cells. But “Rewinding Extinction in the Northern White Rhinoceros” may turn out to be accurate for what a genetically diverse stem cell bank
Will Stem Cells Save the Northern White Rhino? Read More »
I’m doing an experiment today to see if people enjoy a mid-week splash of a few Wednesday recommended science reads and the first one collides with art. You can see Sunday’s recommended weekly reads here too. Also, be sure to visit our Facebook page if you have a moment and please like our page if
Mid-week rec reads: plague paleogenomics, bats, art, get new skin, & more Read More »
De-extinction is big right now and some of the extinct target creatures are big too like the woolly mammoth. “Let’s bring back these extinct creatures”, say proponents. Wouldn’t it be cool? I have to admit seeing a woolly mammoth, mastodon, or saber tooth tiger would be cool, but such efforts would not be without consequences
Why I oppose de-extinction of woolly mammoths Read More »