Bring Back the King: The New Science of De-extinction

By Helen Pilcher

Book Overview

Helen Pilcher is uniquely qualified to explain the cutting-edge science that makes the resurrection of extinct animals a very real possibility, while acknowledging the serious and humorous aspects of giving a deceased animal a second chance to live. If you could bring back to life a person or animal, what would you choose? Pilcher highlights her own choices from eras gone, including the King of the Dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex , and the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley. From dinosaurs to dodos and Neanderthals, Bring Back the King reveals how the burgeoning field of DNA science is being used to help resurrect individual animals (did your beloved Fido die before siring offspring?) and entire species from their stony graves. Pilcher describes current initiatives and future plans to restore deceased animals, and uses both science and willful irreverence to assess the ramifications of how these genetic Lazaruses might fare in their brave new world. Could a pet dinosaur be trained to roll over? Would Neanderthals enjoy opera? Could a returning dodo seek vengeance upon humanity? Blending the very latest de-extinction technology with cloning, and hard-core popular science with levity, Bring Back the King will generate a lot of thoughtful discussion and a chuckle or two.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 147291225X
• ISBN13: 9781472912251
• Release Date: January 2017
• Publisher: Bloomsbury SIGMA
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.6"