How to Clone a Mammoth

Posted on 11 August 2017 by Beth Shapiro

Could extinct species, like mammoths and passenger pigeons, be brought back to life The science says yes In How to Clone a Mammoth, Beth Shapiro, evolutionary biologist and pioneer in ancient DNA research, walks readers through the astonishing and controversial process of de extinction From deciding which species should be restored, to sequencing their genomes, to anticipating how revived populations might be overseen in the wild, Shapiro vividly explores the extraordinary cutting edge science that is being used today to resurrect the past Journeying to far flung Siberian locales in search of ice age bones and delving into her own research as well as those of fellow experts such as Svante Paabo, George Church, and Craig Venter Shapiro considers de extinction s practical benefits and ethical challenges Would de extinction change the way we live Is this really cloning What are the costs and risks And what is the ultimate goal Using DNA collected from remains as a genetic blueprint, scientists aim to engineer extinct traits traits that evolved by natural selection over thousands of years into living organisms But rather than viewing de extinction as a way to restore one particular species, Shapiro argues that the overarching goal should be the revitalization and stabilization of contemporary ecosystems For example, elephants with genes modified to express mammoth traits could expand into the Arctic, re establishing lost productivity to the tundra ecosystem.Looking at the very real and compelling science behind an idea once seen as science fiction, How to Clone a Mammoth demonstrates how de extinction will redefine conservation s future. New Read How to Clone a Mammoth [ by ] Beth Shapiro [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr How to Clone a Mammoth The Science of de Extinction is a book detailing the trials and tribulations involved in bringing an extinct species back to life.I got this from Netgalley.Okay, here s the deal I found this book very interesting but also very repetitive After the fourth or fifth description of a possible cloning method, only to have it explained y...How to clone a mammoth Well, you can t yet So this is not an instruction manual Cloning requires a living somatic body cell from a creature and a living egg from the same or a very closely related species Mammoths are not currently living creatures, therefore, there will be no cloning of mammoths Cue relief for all the terrified folks out there.This was a very interesting read, it covered a lot of ground not just scientific issues, but the moral ethical issues surrounding the subjec How to clone a mammoth Well, you can t yet So this is not an instruction manual Cloning requires a living somatic body cell from a creature and a living egg from the same or a very closely related species Mammoths are not currently living creatures, therefore, there will be no cloning of mammoths Cue relief for all the terrified folks out there.This was a very interesting read, it covered a lot of ground not just scientific issues, but the moral ethical issues surrounding the subject too I found it to be quite balanced not overly enthusiastic about cloning but not scared to death of the prospect either.The most interesting things I learned 1 Birds cannot be cloned But there are other ways that they can be genetically modified, as the chicken farming industry has discovered.2 The closest living relative to the mammoth is the Indian elephant3 There is a Pleistocene Park in Siberia and the animals in it are certainly changing the ...The topic contained within How to Clone a Mammoth greatly interests me and this is one of numerous books I ve read on ancient DNA Overall I felt as though Shapiro s writing style was not terribly enjoyable or clearly put forth at times The book could have been much shorter, especially if all of the repetitive material was removed Why Shapiro insisted on repeating some things nearly or exactly verbatim numerous times is beyond me because they were never the potentially difficult to understand The topic contained within How to Clone a Mammoth greatly interests me and this is one of numerous books I ve read on ancient DNA Overall I felt as though Shapiro s writing style was not terribly enjoyable or clearly put forth at times The book could have been much shorter, especially if all of the repetitive material was r...Last year I received Resurrection Science as an ARC from Netgalley and eagerly devoured it This book was released around the same time, but I was unable to get my hands on it until the local library carried it I m quite happy that I was patient enough to get it, as the book was an incredibly rewarding read Resurrection Science focused primarily upon the ethical side of de extinction It went into the various types of extinction, their causes, and whether or not bringing them back in an abbre Last year I received Resurrection Science as an ARC from Netgalley and eagerly devoured it This book was released around the same time, but I was unable to get my hands on it until the local library carried it I m quite happy that I was patient enough to get it, as the book was an incredibly rewarding read Resurrection Science focused primarily upon the ethical side of de extinction It went into the various types of extinction, their causes, and whether or not bringing them back in an abbreviated fashion forever in captivity, unable to be reintroduced is that fair How to Clone a Mammoth touched upon these aspects briefly, but failed to really address those aspects of de extinction in a satisfactory way Ul...For a title which sounds like a how to book, this book spends an awful amount of time pointing out the ways in which cloning a mammoth is not possible A lot of science is stuff I was well aware of, but it s presented engagingly and clearly, so it was still an enjoyable read It s not purely about mammoths, although they are one of the main species considered after all, they re thought to have played a significant part in the sustainability of the tundra they inhabited A lot of the book concer For a title which sounds like a how to book, this book spends an awful amount of time pointing out the ways in which cloning a ...De extinction is an idea that will become a reframing of possibilities as momentous as landing humans on the moon was This, I believe, is why people like me are so captivated by the idea of de extinction Not because it is a means to turn back the clock and somehow right our ancestors wrongs, but because de extinction uses awesome, exciting, cutting edge technology to take a giant step forward De extinction is a process that allows us to actively create a future that is really better than to De extinction is an idea that will become a reframing of possibilities as momentous as landing humans on the moon was This, I believe, is why people like me are so captivated by the idea of de extinction Not because it is a means to turn back the clock and somehow right our ancestors wrongs, but because de extinction uses awesome, exciting, cutting edge technology to take a giant step forward De extinction is a process that allows us to actively create a future that is really better than today, not just one that is less bad than we anticipate.I ve been enamoured wit...Decent pop sci book about cloning, but it did get repetitive I enjoyed reading from a scientist directly involved in the field, but one part really stuck out for me She mentioned the idea of cloning carrier pigeons would be unpopular because no one wants a billion of them flying around North Eastern America, but she never acknowledges that there is no requisite that there would have to 1 billion for a stable population It just seemed odd she ...Shapiro knows how to tell story, and I found her mix of anecdotes and science to be very compelling Even though I m a researcher who uses genomics, I learnt a lot about the science behind ancient DNA and attempts to engineer species to be unextinct.Not enough science and too much preaching and pessimism.I didn t find this book enjoyable to read, the tone of the book made it a total downer.A better title would have been We shouldn t and can t clone a Mammoth so stop asking , but I guess no one would have bought the book.How to Clone a Mammoth The Science of De Extinction by Beth Shapiro Copyright 2015 Princeton University Press New Jersey ISBN 978 0 691 15705 4Recommended 5 Star.I read this book as a pre release e book obtained through NetGalley, provided by the publisher.The book s title certainly gets attention because producing living, giant mammals such as mammoths would get a lot of attention However, quickly the reader is led to havingrealistic expectations of what is being done, or can curren How to Clone a Mammoth The Scienc...

English
11 August 2017

Beth Shapiro