Hendrik Poinar time travels with Woolly Mammoths



2013, Science & Technology
Presented By: Hendrik Poinar

Evolutionary geneticist Hendrik Poinar wonders whether extinction is truly irreversible. He travels to the depths of Siberia to obtain fossil remains of Woolly Mammoths, remains that still have real blood, hair, brains, and eyes that are several hundred thousand years old. He extracts DNA, and has brought the complex process of genome sequencing and everything that goes with it far enough to be able to say that it is theoretically possible to resurrect the Woolly Mammoth. But should he? There are serious ramifications, ethical issues, potentially huge benefits that need discussion before we can answer the question.

 

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