When I signed on to write this book several years ago, my goal was simply to answer the question that I have been asked repeatedly since my first days working with ancient DNA: “Is it possible to clone a mammoth?” I could not have predicted that the idea of de-extinction would become so popular—and such a seemingly realistic goal—over the course of the book’s creation. It has been both fascinating and exhilarating to be part of these early days of de-extinction research, both as a scientist and as a de-extinction storyteller. I am indebted to the many researchers and thought leaders who have been behind this wave of enthusiasm and, in particular, to Ryan Phelan and Stewart Brand of Revive & Restore, whose efforts to move de-extinction forward are unparalleled.
Actually writing the book has been both more challenging and more fun than I thought it would be. I appreciate all of those who read early chapter drafts and provided critical feedback. David States, Jacob Sherkow, Alberto Fernández-Arias, George Church, Tom Gilbert, Tony Ezzell, and Molan Goldstein all provided comments, corrections, and criticism that helped to make this book better.
I thank the team at Princeton University Press for their continuous encouragement and tireless enthusiasm for this book. Alison Kalett has been a wonderful editor throughout the process, a constant source of enthusiasm, and a pillar of support when necessary. Jessica Pellien has been a joy to work with, as have Katie Lewis, Quinn Fusting, Betsy Blumenthal, and the entire team. I am delighted to have had the opportunity to work with them all.
I am grateful to Tyler Kuhn and Love Dalén for allowing me to take advantage of their superlative photographic skills. I’ve taken thousands of photos while working in the field, but none of them come close to exposing the raw beauty of the arctic landscape as theirs do. Thanks also to Mathias Stiller, Alberto Fernández-Arias, André Elias Rodrigues Soares, and Sergey Zimov for sharing their images. Each of their images reveal critical aspects of the de-extinction process that words are inadequate to describe.
I am also indebted to the people in my lab at UC Santa Cruz, some of whom are mentioned in the preceding pages, for tolerating my partial absenteeism, in particular as the final deadlines approached. Many thanks, both for keeping the research going and for not spending all of our money while I wasn’t paying as close attention as I should have been.
Finally, I am grateful to my large and extended family for their support and encouragement throughout this process. In particular, I would like to thank Ed Green, my partner both in life and in running our lab, for his encouragement, enthusiasm, and advice as the chapters came together, for the many days that he took over childcare so that I could spend those few extra hours in front of the computer, and, of course, for tolerating and even supporting the craziest of the de-extinction projects taking place in our lab. If it’s a boy, I promise to name the first unextinct pigeon after you, Ed.