TITLE:  The Re-Origin of Species: A Second Chance For Extinct Animals

AUTHOR:  Torill Kornfeldt        

TRANSLATOR:  Fiona Graham

DATE PUBLISHED:  2018

FORMAT:  Paperback

ISBN-13:  9781911617228

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DESCRIPTION:

"What does a mammoth smell like? Do dinosaurs bob their heads as they walk, like today’s birds? Do aurochs moo like cows? You may soon find out.

From the Siberian permafrost to the Californian desert, scientists across the globe are working to resurrect all kinds of extinct animals, from ones that just left us to those that have been gone for many thousands of years. Their tools in this hunt are the fossil record and cutting-edge genetic technologies. Some of these scientists are driven by sheer curiosity; others view the lost species as a powerful weapon in the fight to preserve rapidly changing ecosystems.

It seems certain that these animals will walk the earth again, but what world will that give us? And is any of this a good idea? Science journalist Torill Kornfeldt travelled the globe to meet the men and women working to bring these animals back from the dead and answer these questions. "

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REVIEW:

An interesting, easy to read, if somewhat superficial, journey around the globe to explore what geneticists are up to in terms of reviving, cloning, storing or otherwise fiddling with the genetics of extinct and almost extinct animals and plants in order to aid in conservation efforts or to recreate the extinct animal.  The author also covers the ethics of using genetic engineering in various ways.  This book doesn't cover anything new (except the conservation of trees) that hasn't been covered by other books on the same topic.  A nice, easy, informative read.

OTHER BOOKS

- Rise of the Necrofauna:  A Provocative Look at the Science, Ethics, and Risks of De-Extinction by Britt Wray [General]

-  Bring Back the King:  The New Science of De-Extinction by Helen Pilcher [General]

- Resurrection Science:  Conservation, De-Extinction and the Precarious Future of Wild Things by M.R. O'Connor [focus on conservation]

- The Fall of the Wild - Extinction, De-Extinction, and the Ethics of Conservation by Ben A. Minteer [focus on ethics and conservation]

- How to Clone a Mammoth:  The Science of De-Extinction by Beth Shapiro [focus on the science and ethics]