Reviving Extinct Species: The Woolly Mammoth

The speaker shares a childhood fascination with preserved insects and discusses the modern possibility of sequencing and reviving extinct species, particularly woolly mammoths. The talk covers mammoth evolution, extinction causes, and the challenges of DNA preservation and extraction. It explores genetic reconstruction techniques and the potential for interbreeding, while also addressing ethical considerations of reviving extinct species.

What inspired the speaker's interest in extinct species?

• A visit to a natural history museum

• Reading a book about dinosaurs

• Observing insects in amber through a microscope

• Watching a documentary on wildlife

Which species is mentioned as a quintessential image of the Ice Age?

• Saber-toothed tiger

• Woolly mammoth

• Dodo bird

• Giant sloth

What factors are crucial for the preservation of DNA in fossils?

• The type of soil it is buried in

• The consistency of the burial temperature

• The presence of other fossils nearby

• The size of the organism

What percentage of DNA in a mammoth preserved in permafrost is typically mammoth DNA?

• 10%

• 25%

• 50%

• 75%

How does the mammoth genome compare in size to a hominid genome?

• It is larger by one billion base pairs

• It is smaller by one billion base pairs

• It is larger by two billion base pairs

• It is the same size

What is a significant challenge in reconstructing the mammoth genome?

• High cost of research

• Inability to find mammoth remains

• Short DNA fragments

• Lack of available technology

What is the relationship between mammoths and Asian elephants according to the genome?

• They share a common ancestor with African elephants

• They are more closely related to Asian elephants

• They are equally related to both Asian and African elephants

• They are not related to either

What is a potential habitat for reintroduced mammoths?

• The Amazon rainforest

• The Sahara desert

• Northern Siberia and Yukon

• The Australian outback

What is the speaker's main concern about reviving extinct species?

• The technical feasibility

• The ethical implications

• The lack of public interest

• The cost of the project

What accidental event in 1978 supports the possibility of reviving extinct species?

• A mammoth was cloned in a lab

• An African and Asian elephant interbred

• A woolly mammoth was found alive

• A dinosaur was recreated from DNA