Biotech Updates

Restoring Extinct Species through Genetic Engineering

October 22, 2014

Harvard geneticist, George Church is working on a study about restoring mammoth through the use of genetic engineering in Asian elephant, the closer relative of mammoth than African elephant. According to Church, this can be done by increasing the cold tolerance of Asian elephants which will require several changes in the traits of Asian elephants. In his presentation, "Adapting Species to a Changing World: The Potential of Genome Editing", he stated the importance of his work on mammoth in making the tundra colder, which is important in climate change, specifically the issue of the accumulation of methane in the permafrost. Aside from his work on mammoth, he also discussed the importance of biotechnology in human health by citing examples of the advantages of this technology in human disease-related issues.

Read more about the story at: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2014/10/behold-the-mammoth-maybe/.