Bring back the king
Subtitle: the new science of de-extinction
By: Helen Pilcher
Series: Bloomsbury Sigma -- book eighteen; Bloomsbury sigma series -- bk. 18.
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 304
ISBN-13: 9781472912251; 9781472912268
Subjects: Genetics; Science; Rare animals; Extinct animals; Extinction (Biology); Cloning; Popular works; Fossil DNA
Description: If you could bring back just one animal from the past, what would you choose? It can be anyone or anything from history, from the King of the Dinosaurs, T. rex, to the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley, and beyond. De-extinction - the ability to bring extinct species back to life - is fast becoming reality. Around the globe, scientists are trying to de-extinct all manner of animals, including the woolly mammoth, the passenger pigeon and a bizarre species of flatulent frog. But de-extinction is more than just bringing back the dead. It's a science that can be used to save species, shape evolution and sculpt the future of life on our planet. In Bring Back the King, scientist and comedy writer Helen Pilcher goes on a quest to identify the perfect de-extinction candidate. Along the way, she asks if Elvis could be recreated from the DNA inside a pickled wart, investigates whether it's possible to raise a pet dodo, and considers the odds of a 21st century Neanderthal turning heads on public transport. Pondering the practicalities and the point of de-extinction, Bring Back the King is a witty and wry exploration of what is bound to become one of the hottest topics in conservation - if not in science as a whole - in the years to come.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-291) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: Bringin' it back; title: King of the dinosaurs; title: King of the cavemen; title: King of the Ice Age; title: King of the birds; title: King of Down Under; title: King of Rock 'n' Roll; title: Blue Christmas; title: I just can't help believing; title: New you see it ...; title: P.S.; title: Key references : a little less conversation, a little more reading.