So, there are dire wolves living on Earth again. They were “de-extincted” by Colossal Biosciences — and a few months ago at PopTech I got to know their Chief Science Officer, Beth Shapiro. We recorded a very fun episode on why the de-extinction matters — and not as a science project — because she says it helps us solve problems that threaten every species on earth, including us.
Beth helped to bring back the dire wolf or, as others adamantly call it, a gray wolf with 20 genetic edits. There is a fierce debate about what de-extinction even means, and we discuss that, but whatever you call them, there are now three big wolves living in an undisclosed location and they wouldn't be there if not for the DNA that Beth and her team edited. Colossal is also working to bring back the wooly mammoth, the Tasmanian tiger, the dodo (or is the the “dodo bird”, Beth is adamant that the the “bird” part is silly redundancy) and other animals that have long been extinct. How? Why? And what’s this got to do with the moonshot you are going to launch?
Listen or watch to find out…
Chapters:
01:19 The Most Oprah Question Beth's Ever Been Asked
03:04 Moonshots Require You to Create a Giant List of Problems
04:19 The Things We’ll Solve Along the Way, a la the Original Moonshot… to the Moon
05:57 Beth’s Journey: From Broadcast Journalism to Ancient DNA
09:13 How a Sediment Core Solved a Mammoth Mystery
11:36 Why Charismatic Animals Matter (a.k.a. Why Riz Is Everything)
12:38 What’s Up With Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi?
14:19 But Are They Really “Dire Wolves”? The Controversy Over 20 Genetic Edits
21:45 Should We Do This? Beth's Ethics Framework for Builders
23:51 Advice for Moonshot Builders
25:10 Why We Want Dodos, Mammoths, and Thylacines Back
Links
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Future on…
~ Dan