My lab specializes in a field of biology called ancient DNA. I teach classes and run a research laboratory at the University of California at Santa Cruz. The idea that de-extinction may actually be possible-that science could advance to the point where extinction is no longer forever-is both exhilarating and terrifying, even to me. Anthony writes, “ just stood there and stared at this abrupt de-extinction, unable to formulate a durable opinion.” I imagine this is precisely how many of us might react to our first encounter with a living version of something we thought was extinct. In his 1979 book The Source of Magic, Piers Anthony describes an explorer who suddenly finds himself in the presence of cats, which, until that moment, he had believed to be an extinct species. The first use of the word “de-extinction” was, as far as I can tell, in science fiction.
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