DeExtinction: the Science of Bringing Lost Species Back to Life

Reviewed by: Kathy George - Gray Publlic Library, Gray, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 13, 2018

Review

We have all witnessed what happened when scientists tried to bring back the dinosaurs- Jurassic Park showed the world what could happen. In DeExtinction, Rebecca Hirsch proposes the theory that perhaps we could bring back those species that have been lost to us, the woolly mammoth, the passenger pigeon, the bucardo(a type of wild goat). Scientists have tried already and continue to hone their skills with the hope that someday these species will live again. Hirsch also presents questions such as just because we can, should we both on a moral level and one of their survival. Nola, an elderly female northern white rhins died in 2015, leaving just three left in existence.Do scientists just let them go, or do they try to save this rare breed? There are no answers in this slim volume, just facts and more questions. How much do we interfere with nature? She does present several alternatives to fooling with the gene pool, captive breeding programs, separating small herds or clusters of endangered species to save them from a catastrophe that would wipe out the entire species, even a Frozen Zoo that hold thousands of tissue samples from thousands of animals. How far and to what end does society go to save the creatures of the earth we have put in danger? A book worth reading that will spark lots of discussion.

Overall Book Score: excellent