Listen to the podcast: “The Edge Episode 13: Should We Bring Back Woolly Mammoths?”

Passenger pigeons. Woolly mammoths. Neanderthals. They’re all extinct. But what if we could bring them back? And if we could, should we? Geneticists are exploring de-extincting extinct and near-extinct species, but ethical and logistical problems abound. Laura and Leah sit down with a genetic engineer and an ecologist to understand how de-extinction works and the unintended consequences of playing god. Life, uh, finds a way.

Show Notes:

    • An Audubon Society article and a Scientific American article about why passenger pigeons went extinct
    • A Smithsonian video about Martha the passenger pigeon
    • Doug McCauley’s guidelines for de-extinction

This episode was written and hosted by Laura Smith and Leah Worthington and produced by Coby McDonald.

Special thanks to Pat Joseph, Nathalia Alcantara, Katherine Blesie, and Wyatte Grantham-Philips. Special thanks to Ed Green and Doug McCauley. Art by Michiko Toki and original music by Mogli Maureal.