INDEX

Abumrad, Jad, 219

African wildcat, 43

Allee effect, 173–75

amber, DNA extraction from, 19–23

American chestnut, 221–23

American Museum of Natural History, 205

Ansel, W.F.A., 32

Anthropocene: critique of, 67; definition, 66–67; evolutionary adaption to, 68–69; extinction rate, 67–68

archaea, 50

Archer, Michael, 85, 87, 90–91, 92, 229

artificial selection, 29. See also selective breeding

artificial wombs, 144

Asimov, Isaac, 231–32

Attig, Thomas, 241–42

auk, great, 15–16, 182–84, 191

aurochs, 16, 17, 33, 36–39, 100

Australian Museum, 233

backbreeding (breeding back), 35, 37

bacteria, 49, 50

band-tailed pigeon, 152, 164–65, 166–67, 170, 174

banteng, 43, 196

bats, 203, 209

beavers, 83, 94, 95

Beijing Genomics Institute, 52

ben-Aaron, Diana, 134–35

Bennett, Joseph, 74–75

Berg, Paul, 47–48

Bering Land Bridge, 126–27

Bible, 228, 229

bioabundance, 69, 70

biological species concept, 26–27

biotechnology: societal acceptance of, 223–24, 226–27. See also CRISPR; gene drive; gene editing; genetic engineering; genetic rescue; Revive & Restore; selective breeding

birds, 168–69, 180–81, 182. See also specific species

bison, 118, 120–21, 185

black-footed ferret, 207–9, 220

blight, chestnut, 221–22

borders, international, 196

Boyer, Herbert, 48

Brand, Stewart: on adaptation in Anthropocene, 68–69; background, 4; on CRISPR, 53; on current extinction discussions, 149; eco-pragmatism of, 245; on gene drive, 220–21; on Jurassic Park, 14; on mass extinction lens, 69–70; on moral imperative of de-extinction, 14; on razorbills and great auks, 184; reintroduction focus, 80; on taking action, 244–45; Whole Earth Catalogue, 4–5. See also Phelan, Ryan; Revive & Restore

breeding back (backbreeding), 35, 37

bucardo (Pyrenean ibex), 17, 45–46, 187, 205

business opportunities, 37, 39, 100, 110–11, 189–90, 233. See also entertainment; funding

Campbell, Kevin, 137

carbon, in permafrost, 114–17, 147

care, excessive, 234–35

Carlin, Norman, 187–88, 189–90, 195, 198

Carolina parakeet, 175, 190, 248

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, 196

Cas9 enzyme, 50, 184–85. See also CRISPR

cattle, 36–37. See also aurochs

cautionary vigilance, 4

cave paintings, 36, 126

cells, 39–40, 138–40

charismatic necrofauna/species, 3, 103, 104–5, 106–7

Charpentier, Emmanuelle, 50–51

Chersky, Russia, 112–13

chestnut, American, 221–23

chestnut blight, 221–22

chimeras, 167–68

China, 53–54, 186, 198–99

Christmas Island rat (Maclear’s rat), 105

Church, George: background, 6–7; CRISPR work on pig donor organs, 52–53; on ecosystem argument for de-extinction, 146; elephant herpes project, 225; Genome Project-Write, 57; on Neanderthal de-extinction, 28; Novak and, 161; passenger pigeon project, 8; on voluntary moratoriums, 55–56; woolly mammoth project, 17, 123, 136

climate change: introduction, 65; evolutionary adaptation to, 68–69; as hyperobject, 70; release of carbon in permafrost, 114–17, 147

cloning, 39–46; overview, 58; birds, 168–69; bucardo (Pyrenean ibex), 45–46; complications and ethical questions, 41, 58; de-extinction considerations, 46; Dolly the sheep, 41, 90; of endangered species, 42–43; of extinct species, 12–13, 43–46; from frozen DNA, 23–24; gastric-brooding frog, 85; gaur, 42; mitonuclear compatibility issue, 41–42; overview of cell types, 39–40; of pets, 135–36; process, 40–41; thylacine, 90–93; woolly mammoth, 43–45, 135, 136

Clymene dolphin, 27

Cohen, Stanley, 48

conservation: cost of, 78; de-extinction contributions to, 111–12, 204–9, 225, 252; DNA preservation efforts, 73–74, 205–6; endangered species status and, 197; funding competition with de-extinction, 74–75; gene drive and, 220; genetic engineering for pathogen resistance, 209; genetic engineering for population bottlenecks, 206–8; as greater value than de-extinction, 77–78; human resource issues, 76–77; pessimism inherent in, 147; success stories, 71–72; synthetic biology and, 201–4. See also endangered species

conservation translocation, 80–81. See also reintroduction

coolness, 109–10

copal, 22–23

corals, 202

creation stories, 230–32

Crichton, Michael, 21. See also Jurassic Park

Crick, Francis, 46–47

CRISPR, 49–56; applicability, 51–52; Chinese research with, 53–54, 198–99; cost, 52; discovery, 49; DNA cutting function, 50–51; DNA insertion function, 51; ethical issues, 53–54; gene drives and, 217; genetic rescue potential, 53; impact on de-extinction, 200; moratoriums suggested for, 56; potential problems, 52; regulatory burden on, 199–200; speed, 52; spread and sophistication of use, 56, 184–85

Critser, John, 143

crop (birds), 154

Crutzen, Paul, 66

cryopreservation, 45

Crystal Bioscience, 165, 167

Cuvier, Georges, 61

cytoplasm, 41

Dalén, Love, 133

dangerous knowledge, 230–32

Darwin, Charles, 29

death, keeping faith with, 243–44

de-extinction: assessment of projects, 15–16; author’s interest and approach to, 1–2, 5–6, 15–16, 17–18, 252–53; existing research and literature, 16, 17; honoring differences with original animals, 249–50; as human-mediated nature, 250; impact on humans considerations, 251; importance of narratives about, 250–51; inaccurate concept of reviving exact replicas, 12–13, 204; pragmatic approach of, 245; proper comprehension of, 247–48; realistic expectations, 25; responsibility for, 233–34, 247, 252–53; scientific advances from, 184–85; seen through Frankenstein myth, 232, 233–34; sincerity of practitioners, 252; societal threshold for, 226–27; terminology, 3, 16–17

—concerns: as avoidance of responsibility for current problems, 244; as beginning of new extinction phase, 243–44; charismatic species focus, 3, 103, 104–5, 107; common, 14–15; compromise of ecosystem integrity, 245–47; conservation as more vital, 71, 77–78; dangerous knowledge, 230; deliberate extinction moral hazard, 72–74; egotism, 71; excessive care, 234–35; funding competition with conservation, 74–75; human resources, 76–77; invasive spreading, 195; multiplying impacts of de-extinction, 235; private funding, 75–76; salvation narratives in de-extinction, 235–36; of unintentional self-inflicted harm, 231

—legal and regulatory issues: creation of new laws, 193; current lack of regulation, 187; endangered species status, 194–97; environmental impact statements, 191; GMO legislation, 190–91; human interaction with unextinct animals, 197; impact of non-Western nations, 198, 199; impact of privately funded labs, 199–200; jurisdictional issues, 196; liability for damage from release of animals, 197–98; likely outcome, 194, 200; patents, 188–89; precedent focus, 187–88; profit from unextinct animals, 189–90; release of animals, 197; Torrance on, 191–94; use of pre-existing laws, 192–93

—reasons for: business opportunities, 37, 39, 100, 110–11, 189–90, 233; conservation, 111–12, 204–9, 252; coolness factor, 109–10; ecosystem argument, 11–12, 145–46, 147; entertainment, 95, 110, 250–51; moral obligation, 14, 242–43

—techniques: overview, 58; cloning, 39–46, 58; conservation use of, 111–12, 204–9, 252; extraction of DNA from amber, 19–23; gene editing, 48–56, 58; genetic engineering, 46–48; selective breeding, 28–39, 58; synthetic genomes, 56–57

DeLanda, Manuel, 59–60

Dhadwar, Bobby: introduction, 136; elephant herpes project, 225–26; Woolly Mammoth Revival project, 136–41, 143–44

differentiation, 40

digital biological conversion, 7

dingoes, 89

dinosaurs, 20–21, 24, 25

DNA: disintegration after death, 23; genetic code archives, 204; location within cells, 41; preservation through freezing, 23–24, 45, 204–6; recombinant, 54–56; sequencing, 3, 47, 132, 163; spacer, 50; species relationships determined from, 32; structure and function, 46–47

—ancient: beginning of studies on, 32–33; extraction from amber theory, 19–23; fossilization impact on, 24; hype trap of, 91; oldest sample obtained, 25; Poinar on working with, 24–25; using close living relatives as template, 131–32

DNA Direct, 3

dodo, 159, 161–62

dogs, 29

Dolly (sheep), 41, 90

dolphin: Clymene, 27; Yangtze River, 82–83, 199

Donlan, Josh, 197

Doudna, Jennifer, 50–51

Dovetail Genomics, 164, 181

dwarfism, 129

eating, of unextinct animals, 100, 185–86

eco-pragmatism, 245–46

ecosystem: as argument for de-extinction, 11–12, 145–46, 147; bioabundance, 69; complexity of, 81; de-extinction as compromising integrity of, 245–47; extinction impact on, 11; regulations, and assumption that extinction means loss to, 192–93. See also reintroduction

ectogenesis, 144

EEHV (elephant endotheliotropic herpes-virus), 224–26

Egler, Frank, 81

egotism, 71

Ehrlich, Paul, 80, 81

elephants: challenge of getting eggs from, 142–43; creation of stem cells from, 138–40; de-extinction for conserving, 111–12, 149, 207; editing mammoth genes into, 137, 207; elephant endotheliotropic herpes-virus (EEHV), 224–26; relationship to mammoths, 126, 138. See also woolly mammoth

elk. See wapiti

emotions, 94–95, 237–39, 240–41

endangered species: cloning, 42–43; cloning as basis for protection removal, 74; gaining status for unextinct animals, 194–96; human interactions with, 197; societal acceptance of using biotech to save, 223–24, 226–27. See also conservation

entertainment, unextinct animals for, 95, 110, 250–51. See also business opportunities

environmentalism, 233–34

eons, 60

epigenetics, 170

epochs, 60

Epstein, Brendan, 92

eras, 60

ethics: cloning, 41; CRISPR, 53–54; de-extinction as moral hazard, 72–74; emotions and, 238–39; excessive care, 234–35; moral imperative for de-extinction, 14, 242–43; society thresholds for biotech use, 223–24, 226–27; Van Dooren of extinction ethics, 244; weighing de-extinction against conservation, 108–9

evolution, 60–61, 68–69, 164

Ewen, John, 96

An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump (Wright), 230

Extinct DNA Study Group, 19

extinction: background rate, 61; current rate, 67–68; emotional responses to, 237–39, 240–41; ethics of, 244; evolutionary role, 60–61; human responsibility, 63–64, 68; impact on ecosystem, 11; inability to stop human-caused, 248–49; keeping faith with, 243–44; mass, 62–64, 70; need to properly comprehend, 247–48; origin of concept, 61; as process over time, 239–40

Extinction Marathon, 236–37

extirpation (local extinction), 67, 72–73, 83

extrauterine fetal incubation, 144

facsimiles, 188

Fernández-Arias, Alberto, 45

ferret, black-footed, 207–9, 220

fibroblasts, 138, 215

Fisher, Davis, 110

Fletcher, Amy, 91–92

Florida panther, 72

flu virus, 225

Folch, José, 46

fossilization, 24

fossil record, 60

Frankenfoods, 232

Frankenstein (Shelley), 231, 232, 233–34

Frankenstein complex, 232

frog, gastric-brooding, 16, 17, 84–86, 188–89, 209, 229

Frozen Ark, 205

frozen zoos, 73–74, 204–6

Frozen Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, 204–5

funding, 74–76, 78–79, 199–200. See also business opportunities

galvanism, 232

gastric-brooding frog, 16, 17, 84–86, 188–89, 209, 229

gaur, 42, 74

gene drive, 217–21; attention given to, 217; conservation uses, 220; explanation of, 217–19; modification of unextinct animals, 220–21; mosquito example, 219–20; problems with, 220

gene editing, 48–49, 58. See also CRISPR

genetic assistance, 10

genetic engineering: American chestnut, 221–23; historical overview, 46–48; for pathogen resistance, 209; for population bottlenecks, 206–8

genetic rescue, 10–11, 53, 208, 223–24, 226

Genome Project-Write, 7, 57

geological timescale, 59–61

germ cells, 39, 165

germinal crescent, 166

giant salamander, 186

Gilbert, Tom, 77–78, 104–5, 184, 186

global warming. See climate change

GMOs (genetically modified organisms), 189, 190, 191, 196, 197, 232

golden lion tamarin, 71–72

golden toad, 248

Gone (Kirkland), 248–49

Goto, Kazufumi, 135

Gould, John, 90

grapefruit, 47

gray wolf, 43

great auk, 15–16, 182–84, 191

Greely, Hank, 109

Green, Richard (Ed), 27, 164

Greenberg, Joel, 151, 154, 160

Greer, Allen, 91

Griswold-Tergis, Luke, 122–23

Haldane, J.B.S., 144

Haraway, Donna, 235–36

Harris, George, 88

Hawaiian birds, 209, 220–21

heath hen, 181–82

Heck, Lutz and Heinz, 33–34

herpes: elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV), 224–26

Herridge, Tori, 109–10

higher organism, 189

Higuchi, Russell, 32–33

Holmes, Max, 113, 114, 115–16, 118

Holocene, 64

hope, 249

Hornaday, William T., 246

Huang, Junjiu, 199

Huang, Xingxu, 198

humans: CRISPR used on human embryos, 53–54, 199; desire for resurrection, 2, 228; environmental impact by, 65–66; management of relationship with animals, 86–87; Neanderthals and, 27–28; need to consider de-extinction impact on, 251; reintroduction impact considerations, 102; responsibility for current mass extinction, 63–64, 68; werewolf syndrome, 141

Hwang, Woo-Suk, 135–36

hybridization, 27, 28, 68, 101

hyperobjects, 70

hype trap, 91

Indian vulture, 240–41

induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), 139, 215

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 65, 66

International Centre for Life, 182

International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 76, 103

invasive species, 191–92, 195, 202–3

IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), 65, 66

iPSCs (induced pluripotent stem cells), 139, 215

Ireland, Dave, 176

Iritani, Akira, 135

IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), 76, 103

Jacquet, Jennifer, 236–37, 248

Jobs, Steve, 4

Jørgensen, Dolly, on reintroductions: carnivores, 93; gastric-brooding frog, 85–86; human-animal relationship and, 83, 84, 86–87; mourning as incentive, 94–95; need to pre-plan de-extinction, 96; NIMBY attitude, 94; successful, 82

Jurassic Park, 14, 21, 23, 25, 125, 232

Jurassic World, 109

Kaebnick, Gregory, 237–39

Kerkdijk-Otten, Henri, 36, 37–39

keystone species, 11

Kirkland, Isabella, 248–49

Knoepfler, Paul, 51

Koonin, Eugene, 50

labs, privately funded, 199–200

Lanza, Robert, 24

last-chance tourism, 110. See also business opportunities

Latour, Bruno, 234

Lazarus of Bethany, 228

Lazarus Project, 85, 229

Lazarus taxon, 229

legal issues. See de-extinction—legal and regulatory issues

Leopold, Aldo, 7

Ling, Paul, 224–25

local extinctions (extirpation), 67, 72–73, 83

Lynch, Vincent, 144–46, 148

lynx, 93

Maclear’s rat (Christmas Island rat), 105

mammoths, 127, 128–29. See also woolly mammoth

Martin, George R.R., 79

Martin, Paul, 130

mass extinctions, 62–64, 68, 69–70. See also Anthropocene

Mayr, Ernst, 26

McKnight, Alvin, 157

Merkel, Hermann, 222

methane, 115

Minteer, Ben, 245–47

missing species, 94–95

mitochondria, 33, 41–42, 162

MIT Technology Review, 134

moa, 17

Moehrenschlager, Axel, 96

mollusks, 66

morality. See ethics

moratoriums, 54–56

morphological species concept, 25–26

Morton, Timothy, 70

mosquitos, 20–21, 218–20

mourning, 94–95, 241–42, 244–45

muskox, 83–84, 121–22

Mwemba, James, 210–11, 212–13, 217

narratives. See stories

National Geographic, 9, 159

Neanderthals, 27–28, 91, 183

NIMBY (not in my backyard), 94

Noah’s Ark, 205–6

Northeast Science Station, 112, 113. See also Pleistocene Park

northern white rhino, 210–17; author’s experience with, 212–13; breeding program and problems, 210–11, 213–14; death of Suni, 211; ethical issues in reviving, 216–17; induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) solution, 215–16; proposed IVF solution, 214–15; society thresholds for using biotech with, 226; Sudan (last surviving male), 211–14; surviving animals, 77, 210. See also rhino

Novak, Ben: on cloning birds, 169; critique of Bennett’s analysis, 76; on genome templates from close living relatives, 131–32; personality and style, 157–58, 180; PhD research on rock pigeons, 180; on Revive & Restore’s bird work, 180–81; on scientific advances, 184–85

—passenger pigeon project: introduction, 158; on Allee effect, 174–75; blog post on, 179; on challenges, 173; early research, 160; on environmental impacts by pigeons, 176–78; gathering PGCs (primordial germ cells), 165–66; genetic editing of pigeon genome, 167–68; genome sequencing, 162–65; on habitat, 175, 176; joining Revive & Restore’s team, 160–61; on Martha (last passenger pigeon), 178–79; museum research, 179; passion for pigeons, 158–60, 234; on raising squabs, 169–71; on soft release of pigeons, 171–72, 173. See also passenger pigeons

oceans, 66

O’Connor, M.R., 153, 210

onco-mouse, 189

organ donation, 52–53

Overkill Hypothesis, 120, 130

owl, spotted, 73

oxalic acid, 222, 223

Pääbo, Svante, 91

Palmer, Teddy, 182

panther, Florida, 72

parakeet, Carolina, 175, 190, 248

Paramecium aurelia, 26

Parkes, Colin Murray, 241

Parsi, 240–41

passenger pigeons: introduction, 7–8; Allee effect and, 173–75; challenges facing de-extinction efforts, 168, 173; chimera production process, 167–68; cloning difficulties, 168–69; diet, 153–54; editing genes from into band-tailed pigeon genome, 165, 167; environmental impact from, 176–78; evolutionary history, 152–53; extinction, 152, 153; fans of, 158; as food for humans, 154–55; gender differentiation, 151; genome sequencing, 162–65; habitat, 175–76; hunting methods, 156; market system, 156–57; Martha (last existing), 7–8, 106, 178–79, 239, 248; multiple uses of unextinct, 186; non-food uses for, 155–56; opponents to reviving, 178; process for getting primordial germ cells (PGCs), 165–67; profiting from, 189–90; proposal to revive, 8; raising unextinct squabs, 169–71; Revive & Restore project, 105, 158; at Royal Ontario Museum, 151–52; soft release into habitats, 171–73; as super-organism, 176–77; time-line for de-extinction, 180. See also Novak, Ben

patents, 188–89

Paterson, William, 88

pathogens, 101–2, 209

PCR (polymerase chain reaction), 132

Peck, Mark, 150, 151, 154, 176

Pembient, 202

peregrine falcons, 180–81

periods (geological), 60

permafrost, carbon in, 114–17, 147

Personal Genome Project, 6–7

PGCs (primordial germ cells), 165–67, 168

Phelan, Ryan: on attitudes towards de-extinction, 15; background, 3; on beneficial results of genetic rescue work, 224; on conservation through biotech, 209, 225; on deliberate extinction moral hazard, 73–74; on moral imperative of de-extinction, 14; online interview about de-extinction, 1–2, 3; on zoos, 111. See also Brand, Stewart; Revive & Restore

Photo Ark, 105–6

pigeons: band-tailed, 152, 164–65, 166–67, 170, 174; rock, 104, 165–66, 180. See also passenger pigeons

pigs, 52–53

Pilcher, Helen, 147

Pimm, Stuart, 71–73, 78

Pleistocene, 113–14, 126–27

Pleistocene Park, 113–24; introduction, 113; adjustments to ecosystem to prevent permafrost melt, 116–18; carbon storage in permafrost, 114–17, 147; media attention, 119; Pleistocene ecosystem, 113–14; proposed deal with Revive & Restore, 123; reasons for, 118–19, 119–20, 124; reintroduction difficulties, 120–22; tank for mimicking mammoths, 122–23; on unextinct mammoths in, 123–24

pluripotent stem cells, 40, 139. See also induced pluripotent stem cells

Poinar, George, Jr., 19–21, 22, 32–33, 126

Poinar, Hendrik: background, 124–25; on Crichton and Jurassic Park, 21; on de-extinction for entertainment, 110; on DNA from amber, 20, 22–23; interest in extinct animals, 126; research on mammoth extinction, 130–31, 133; on working with ancient DNA, 24–25, 132

Pokagon, Simon, 156

polio virus, 225

polymerase chain reaction (PCR), 132

population bottleneck, 133, 206–8

postenvironmentalism, 233–34

primordial germ cells (PGCs), 165–67, 168

proboscideans, 126, 148–49. See also elephants; woolly mammoth

profit. See business opportunities

Prometheus, 231

public engagement, 8–9, 229–30

Pyrenean ibex (bucardo), 17, 45–46, 187, 205

quagga, 29–35; appearance, 16, 29–30; extinction, 30; extraction of DNA, 32–33; Rau’s research on, 30–32, 33, 34; relationship to zebras, 30, 32, 33, 34–35; selective breeding attempt to revive, 33–35

Quagga Project, 34

radiation, 47

rats, 105, 202–3

Rau, Reinhold, 30–34

razorbill, 183–84

recombinant DNA, 54–56

Redford, Kent, 108

regulatory issues. See de-extinction—legal and regulatory issues

reintroduction: charismatic species and, 103, 104–5, 106–7; conventional practice of, 80–81; cultural narratives and emotions evoked by, 93, 94–95; as de-extinction focus, 80; ecosystem considerations, 82–86; gastric-brooding frog, 84–86; invasive spreading concerns, 191–92, 195; management of human-animal relationship, 86–87, 93–94; mourning as motive for, 94–95; muskox, 83–84; NIMBY problem, 94; non-scientists in debate on, 95–96; of unextinct animals, 81; Yangtze River dolphin, 82–83

—criteria, 96–102; ability to remove species, 102; appropriate release sites/areas, 99; ecosystem considerations, 97–98; future environmental factors, 98; impact on existing species, 101; impact on humans, 102; legal considerations, 100; pathogen considerations, 101–2; stakeholder considerations, 100–101; understanding species’ needs, 98–99

release sites/areas, selecting, 99

responsibility, 63–64, 68, 233–34, 247, 251, 252–53

resurrection ecology, 3. See also de-extinction

Revive & Restore: introduction, 4; beginnings of, 6–7, 8; bird projects, 180–81, 182; black-footed ferret conservation assistance, 208; cautionary vigilance approach, 4; charismatic species focus, 103; ecosystem argument for de-extinction, 145; elephant herpes project, 224–26; funding model, 75, 78–79; genetic rescue, 10–11; Gone (Kirkland) on website, 249; heath hen project, 181–82; hiring of Novak on passenger pigeon project, 160–61; mission statement, 10; on moral imperative of de-extinction, 14; proposed deal with Pleistocene Park, 123; public engagement, 8–9, 103–4. See also Brand, Stewart; passenger pigeons; Phelan, Ryan; woolly mammoth

rhino, 77, 202. See also northern white rhino

Ridley, Matt, 182–83, 184, 191

rock pigeons, 104, 165–66, 180

Royal Ontario Museum, 150–52

Ryder, Oliver, 205

salamander, giant, 186

San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Frozen Zoo, 204–5

Sartore, Joel, 105–7

Saving Species, 71–72, 78

Schorger, Arlie William, 155, 156–57

SCNT (somatic cell nuclear transfer), 40–41

Seddon, Philip, 96, 103

selective breeding, 28–35; arguments for, 28–29, 58; artificial selection process, 29; aurochs, 36–39; back-breeding process, 35, 37; Heck brothers’ experiments, 33–34; quagga, 29–35; woolly mammoths, 12

Sepkoski, Jack, 63

Serpentine Galleries, 236

Shapiro, Beth, 16, 17, 22, 161–62, 164, 170, 224

Shelley, Mary: Frankenstein, 231, 232, 233–34

sibling species, 26

Silver, Lee, 238

single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 138

snails, 240

SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms), 138

Snyder, Gary, 14

Soares, André Elias Rodrigues, 163, 164

soft release, 171

somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), 40–41

somatic cells, 39, 40

Sonneborn, Tracy, 26

Sooam Biotech Research Foundation, 135–36

spacer DNA, 50

species, 25–28; biological species concept, 26–27; hybridization, 27, 28, 68, 101; morphological/typological species concept, 25–26; sibling species, 26; subspecies, 34–35; value of, 107. See also endangered species

species revivalism, 3. See also de-extinction

Specter, Michael, 54

spotted owl, 73

status symbol, of exotic foods, 100, 186

Steffen, Alex, 3

Steller’s sea cow, 105, 237

stem cells, 40, 139–40

Stewart, Emma, 110

Stoermer, Eugene, 66

stories: Biblical stories of resurrection, 228–29; dangerous knowledge theme, 230–32; importance in framing de-extinction, 250–51; influence of, 229; reintroduction and, 93, 94–95; salvation narratives in de-extinction, 235–36

subspecies, 34–35

survivor’s guilt, 237

Swart, Sandra, 230–31, 232, 233

sylvatic plague, 208–9, 220

synthetic biology, 202–3

synthetic genomes, 56–57

TALENS (transcription activator-like effector nucleases), 49

tamarin, golden lion, 71–72

Tasmanian devil, 92, 101–2

Tasmanian tiger. See thylacine

Tauros Programme, 38

Taurus project, 38

techniques. See de-extinction—techniques

Temple, Stanley, 6

Thomas, Chris D., 68

thylacine (Tasmanian tiger), 87–93; introduction, 87; appearance, 16, 88–89; Australian Museum plan to revive, 233; cloning project, 90–93; competition with dingoes, 89; cultural narratives about, 93; evolutionary history, 87–88; hunted by settlers and extinction, 89–90; video of last known, 93

toad, golden, 248

Torrance, Andrew, 84, 191–94, 195–96, 198, 199, 200

totipotent stem cells, 40

tourism. See business opportunities

transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENS), 49

Trans Ova Genetics, 42

True Nature Foundation, 37–39, 100

tundra, 118–19. See also Pleistocene Park

23andMe, 27–28

typological species concept, 25–26

undifferentiated cells, 40

unextinct species, 16–17. See also de-extinction

Uruz Project, 37–38

Van Dooren, Thomas, 239–44; on emotions for extinctions, 240–41; on ethics of extinction, 244; on extinction as process, 239–40; on keeping faith with death, 243–44; on moral obligation for de-extinction, 242–43; on mourning, 241–42

vulture, Indian, 240–41

wapiti, 118, 121

Watson, James, 46–47

Weber, Roy, 43

werewolf syndrome, 141

wheat, 223

white-nose syndrome, 203, 209

Whittle, Patrick, 110

Whole Earth Catalogue, 4–5

Widga, Chris, 128

wildcat, African, 43

Wild Field, 118

Wilmut, Ian, 41

Wilson, E.O., 8

Wilson, Etta, 156

wolves, 29, 43, 87

wombs, artificial, 144

woolly mammoth: analysis of remains, 129–30; ancestors and related species, 127, 128–29; April Fool’s story about de-extinction of, 134–35; author on de-extinction of, 148–49; characteristics, 127–28, 129; cloning attempts, 43–45, 135, 136; cold tolerance, 137; coolness factor, 109–10; CRISPR used on, 56; de-extinction attempts, 133–34; dwarfism, 129; ecological alternatives to, 122–23, 148–49; ecological role, 117; ecosystem argument for de-extinction, 145–46, 147; for elephant conservation, 111–12; extinction timeline and theories, 125–26, 130, 133; field research, 130–31; genetic comparison to elephants, 138; genome recreation, 131–33; habitat, 129; hypothetical damage from released, 84; impossibility of exact replication, 12–13; Lynch’s critique of de-extinction of, 145–46, 148; patent issues, 189; Pleistocene Park on, 123–24; range, 126–27; socialization of unextinct, 147–48

—Woolly Mammoth Revival project, 136–44; artificial womb possibilities, 143–44; conservation applications, 207, 252; genetic editing process, 140–42; goal, 136–37; participants, 136; process for getting elephant eggs, 142–43; process of getting stem cells, 138–40; timeline for creating hybrids, 146–47

Woolly Mammoth: The Autopsy (documentary), 43

Wrangel Island, 121–22, 129

Wright, Joseph: An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump, 230

Yangtze River dolphin, 82–83, 199

yedoma, 114. See also permafrost, carbon in

You, Lu, 199

zebras, 30, 32, 33, 34–35

Zimov, Nikita, 118–20, 121–22, 123–24

Zimov, Sergey, 112, 113, 116–17, 118, 122–23, 124

zinc-finger nucleases, 48, 52

zombie zoology, 3. See also de-extinction

zoos, 111

zoos, frozen, 73–74, 204–6

zygote, 39–40