Is the mammoth resurrection credible? May you and I grow up in a world where mammoths are everywhere

See Mammoth Again – Genetic Scissors Reinvent Life book review

Text/Winter moon is getting warmer

In 2011, a short film of just 25 minutes, Ice Age: Mammoth's Christmas, was released, which introduced me to the creature mammoth for the first time.

Mammoths live in extremely cold regions and were once one of the largest elephants in the world. They are tall and strong, with thick legs, four toes on their feet, and a large head.

However, due to the overhunting of human ancestors and extreme changes in climatic conditions, mammoths are gradually on the road to extinction.

So when I got the book "See mammoths again - genetic scissors to reinvent life", I was happy when I saw words such as "mammoth resurrection" and "gene editing technology", and I was always looking forward to the arrival of "miracles".

The book's author, Ben Mozridge, graduated from Harvard University with honors. He published 19 books, such as The Occasional Billionaire, which was named the New York Times bestseller and later adapted into the Academy Award-winning film The Social Network.

The author uses the technique of literary documentary, based on the memories of participants and many scientific research materials, skillfully combines science fiction and reality, presenting us with a journey of scientists resurrecting extinct species and the story behind science.

The book is divided into four sections, each of which contains a passage from George Church that is thought-provoking. For example, in the fourth part, it is written:

Scientists have full confidence in science. Science is a good thing, a belief. We are not sure of this, and perhaps millions of years from now.

From this sentence, we can see the confident scientific research attitude of scientists at that time and the seriousness of their efforts.

Dr. George Akiyoshi can be said to be the genetic leader of this resurrection operation, playing a crucial role. So how should this project to revive mammoths be carried out?

First, genes are taken from frozen mammoths in the Arctic Circle and sequenced; then, genes and clips from ancient mammoths are implanted into the genomes of modern elephants.

In this process, combined with synthetic research, stem cell research and other multi-field techniques, scientists hope to convert these hybrid cells into functional embryos and bring extinct organisms back to us.

But this experiment is not simple, from the frozen land of Siberia to the top genetics laboratory at Harvard University, a group of young scientists directed by Dr. George Church, the most prominent geneticist of our time, has been working hard.

The "Resurrection" team faced many difficulties, but they never wanted to back down. The search for ice and snow, the experiments day and night, and the pressure intertwined inside and outside cannot erase the heart that dedicates itself to science.

But what is the point of them doing this?

Perhaps to compensate for the crimes committed by human indiscriminate killing, or perhaps because the conditions of mammoths are more in line with this experiment, it is likely to pull humanity itself back from the brink of extinction. Or rather, the resurrection of the mammoth is more like a human redemption of itself.

This book not only tells about the greatness of gene editing technology, shows the persistence and tenacious exploration spirit of scientists, but more importantly tells us to cherish everything around us.

The author writes before the beginning of the main text:

I dedicate this book to dear Arthur and Arya, who will grow up in a world where mammoths are everywhere.

And I hope this dream will succeed, and may you and I grow up in a world where mammoths are everywhere.