Mythbusting de-extinction to sort fact from fiction
De-extinction hit the headlines recently with the ‘resurrection’ of the dire wolf and the push to bring back the moa. However, can scientists really bring back extinct animals? And more importantly, should they?
Extinction is still very much forever.
Hear from Associate Professor Nic Rawlence from the Otago University Zoology Department for a session exploring the science, ethics and concerns surrounding de-extinction.
De-extinction provides a great context for the classroom, whether teaching socio-scientific issues, ethics or genetics, students will be easily engaged by the fascinating stories and images which highlight the importance of science communication and critical thinking.
This session is valuable for both upper primary and secondary school teachers as well as anyone else interested in this topic.
You can download the video and slideshow presentation.
Mythbusting de-extinction to sort fact from fiction
This is an edited recording of the webinar Mythbusting de-extinction to sort fact from fiction.
Resourcing and tools are scarce, and we need to make decisions that will have the greatest, intergenerational impact that considers the ecosystem as a whole and the taonga species that live here.
Mythbusting de-extinction to sort fact from fiction – slideshow
This slideshow, from the webinar Mythbusting de-extinction to sort fact from fiction, provides additional support for the video presentation.
Use the slideshow menu for further options, including viewing in full screen.
Related content
We are fortunate to host a number of articles written by Dr Nic Rawlence, including one on genetic research into takahē.
The Extinction article unpacks the history, causes and impacts of extinction and you can further explore ethics and science further under our topic. Here you can filter by resource type.
You may also be interested in Dead as the moa – oral traditions show that early Māori recognised extinction.
Socio-scientific issues often involve ethical discussions. We recommend exploring ethical thinking with your students to establish a foundation for informed decision making. These resources support ethical thinking in the classroom:
Nic talks about population genetics, here are some resources that may help develop understanding of this aspect of his presentation:
Useful links
Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives is the blog of Nic Rawlence and colleagues in the Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory.
The Conversation hosts many of Nic Rawlence’s articles.
Genomics for Aotearoa hosts a full version of Nic’s presentation here.
Acknowledgement
Thank you to Nic Rawlence.
