De-Extinction: A Scientist’s Perspective from Inside a Cloning Lab

Chris draws on his PhD-era experience at Texas A&M—including meeting Dewey, the world’s first cloned deer—to unpack de-extinction and why cloning is far harder and less efficient than headlines suggest. He revisits Dolly’s breakthrough, explains somatic cell nuclear transfer, and highlights low success rates and frequent abnormalities. Chris explores the only true de-extinction attempt, the Pyrenean ibex, which survived only minutes, and explains why mammoths and “dire wolves” cannot be truly cloned due to fragmented DNA, with current efforts relying instead on genetic engineering. Chris also outlines major challenges around elephant egg sourcing, embryo transfer, and gestation, questions claims that mammoths could meaningfully impact climate change, and argues conservation resources are better directed toward protecting existing species, while acknowledging potential scientific benefits from the research. Timeline 00:00 Podcast Intro and De-Extinction 00:38 Meeting Dewey the Clone 03:31 Cloning Hype vs Reality 05:06 Elephant Repro Research Shift 07:02 Dolly and Cell Reset 10:22 How Cloning Works 15:46 Lab Data on Efficiency 20:50 De-Extinction Case Study Ibex 22:32 Why Mammoths Aren't Clones 26:40 Elephant Surrogates and Obstacles 30:36 Elephant Egg Retrieval 31:43 Lab Grown Gametes 32:33 Embryo Transfer Challenges 33:01 Welfare and Ethics 34:26 Climate Claims Debunked 36:28 Funding Priorities Debate 38:50 Real Conservation Wins 40:07 False Tech Fix Narrative 42:58 Forest Elephants Solution 47:01 Moonshot Case for Science 49:57 What De Extinction Delivers 52:02 Choose Protection Today =========================================================== Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters. You too can join for one cup of "good" coffee a month. With your pledge you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With the funds we receive each month, we are have been sending money to conservation organizations monthly. We now send a check to every organization we cover, as we feel they all are deserving of our support. Thank you so much for your support and for supporting animal conservation. Please considering supporting us at Patreon HERE. We also want to thank you to all our listeners. We are giving back to every conservation organization we cover and you make that possible. We are committed to donating large portions of our revenue (at minimum 25%) to every organization we cover each week. Thank you for helping us to grow, and for helping to conserve our wildlife. Please contact us at advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast You can also visit our website HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices