“The Return of the Mammoth: Cloning, a Genetic Miracle, or a Myth?” — Lecture by Paleontologist Yaroslav Popov

“The Return of the Mammoth: Cloning, a Genetic Miracle, or a Myth?” — Lecture by Paleontologist Yaroslav Popov

In 2025, headlines around the world claimed that scientists in Texas had "brought back" the dire wolf, a species believed to have gone extinct around 10,000 years ago. The animals were named Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi, and the word "de-extinction" quickly captured the public imagination.

But what actually happened? And why does the same company claim that a living woolly mammoth calf could be born as early as 2028?

In this lecture, we'll explore how ancient DNA recovered from permafrost and modern CRISPR gene-editing technology are being used to modify the genomes of living species—and why the project's own lead scientist described the "resurrected" dire wolf as "a gray wolf with twenty genetic edits."

We'll also examine the growing list of species proposed for de-extinction—including the woolly mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, dodo, and blue antelope—to separate scientific reality from media hype.

Finally, we'll tackle the biggest question of all: should we invest resources in bringing extinct animals back, or would those efforts be better spent protecting the species that are disappearing today?

Speaker: Paleontologist Yaroslav Popov.