Ep. 24 - De-Extinction: Tomorrow's World of Yesterday with Britt Wray
In this installment of the Future Grind podcast host Ryan O’Shea speaks with Britt Wray, a host of the BBC podcast Tomorrow’s World and the author of the book Rise of the Necrofauna: The Science, Ethics, and Risks of De-Extinction. Her book focuses on the idea of resurrecting extinct animals, such as the woolly mammoth and the passenger pigeon, and whether or not this is possible, ethical, and safe. It also includes a foreword written by famed Harvard geneticist George Church. Throughout her work, Britt focuses on the ethical issues of emerging science and technology, creating stories which she tells through radio, tv, print, and public speaking.
Follow Britt on Twitter, or visit her website at brittwray.com.
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Show Notes
- What is de-extinction? [1:54]
- Why a book on de-extinction? [3:09]
- Concerns about de-extinction [5:48]
- The conservation benefits of de-extinction [13:10]
- Relationship with George Church [19:39]
- Neanderthal de-extinction, ethics, & bodily autonomy [20:41]
- The Frankenstein Complex [24:52]
- Facsimiles and artificial wombs [29:50]
- De-extinction is a misnomer [33:48]
- Updates on de-extinction projects [36:13]
- Britt’s background [39:13]
- Insights from an interdisciplinary approache [42:21]
- Exploring synthetic biology [45:10]
- The BBC & Tomorrow’s World podcast [47:41]
- Hosting CBC’s The Nature of Things, Quirks & Quarks [49:18]
- The future for Britt [50:53]
- How to keep up to date with Britt [52:38]
Mentioned
Arden Wray
Revive & Restore - Passenger Pigeon project (Ben Novak)
Bucardo De-Extinction
Jurassic Park
Northern White Rhino
George Church
Woolly Mammoth Project
Pleistocene Park
Regenesis: How Synthetic Biology Will Reinvent Nature and Ourselves
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
Frankenstein Complex
Bruno Latuor
Norman Carlin
David Attenborough
The Nature of Things, David Suzuki
Quirks & Quarks, Bob McDonald
Aurator
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