05/15/2015

How To Clone A Mammoth

17:41 minutes

As an expert in the field of “ancient DNA,” molecular paleontologist Beth Shapiro finds herself answering one question more than any other: “Can we clone a mammoth?” In her new book How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-extinction, Shapiro not only answers that question—she provides a roadmap for what real-life “de-extinction” might look like. She joins Ira to discuss all the questions de-extinction raises, from what species should be resurrected, to whether de-extinction is something we should consider in the first place.

Segment Guests

Beth Shapiro

Beth Shapiro is author of How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-extinction (Princeton University Press, 2015) and associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, California.

Meet the Producer

About Annie Minoff

Annie Minoff is a producer for The Journal from Gimlet Media and the Wall Street Journal, and a former co-host and producer of Undiscovered. She also plays the banjo.