Is Extinction the End?

The Infinite Monkey Cage

BBC

Comedy, Science

4.7 • 9.4K Ratings

🗓️ 18 December 2024

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Brian Cox and Robin Ince dig into de-extinction asking, could we and should we resurrect creatures of the past? They are joined by geneticist Adam Rutherford, palaeontologist Susannah Maidment and comedian/virologist Ria Lina.

Extinction has played a significant role in shaping the life we see on Earth today. It is estimated around 95% of species to have ever existed are already extinct - but could any of these extinctions be reversed? Our panel explore the different methods being pursued in these resurrection quests, including back-breeding, cloning and genetic engineering. They take a close look at the case of the woolly mammoth and the suggestion they could be returned to the Arctic tundra. Some claim the mammoth is the key to ecosystem restoration, but our panel have some punchy opinions on whether this Jurassic Park fantasy is even ethical.

Producer: Melanie Brown Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem Researcher: Olivia Jani

BBC Studios Audio Production

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, it's Nicola Cocklin.
0:02.8	Young people have been making history for years, but we don't often hear about them.
0:06.6	My brand new series on BBC Sounds sets out to put this right.
0:10.6	In history's youngest heroes, I'll be revealing the fascinating stories of 12 young people
0:16.0	who've played a major role in history and who've helped shape our world.
0:19.8	Like Audrey Hepburn, Nelson Mandela,
0:22.5	Louis Braille and Lady Jane Grey, history's youngest heroes with me, Nicola Cochlin. Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:31.4	BBC Sounds, music, radio podcasts. I'm Brian Cox. I'm Robin Inx. And this is the Infinite Monkey Cage.
0:39.0	Now, look out of your window if you're sat at home listening to this.
0:42.8	And, you know, what can you see?
0:43.9	Perhaps a song thrush.
0:45.6	Maybe you can see an urban fox near your bins, a magpie, or if you're lucky, too.
0:50.9	But imagine instead you saw a roaming Tyrannosaurus
0:55.8	Rex that was eating
0:58.1	your cats.
1:00.1	Well, that's the kind of world
1:02.2	that the boffins are trying to create.
1:04.9	Why
1:05.7	are you adopting
1:07.9	that tone? Well, I was told to adopt that tone
1:10.1	because apparently we're not getting enough of the Jeremy Vine phone-in audience.
1:15.4	This was the kind of thing that would draw them in.
	...

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