Moore Foundation grantee Dr. Beth Shapiro, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz and an expert in the field of ancient DNA, discussed the subject of her recent book, “How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-extinction” at a presentation at the foundation. The book received the 2016 American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Prize for nonfiction science.
Beth specializes in the genetics of ice age animals and plants, and travels extensively in the Arctic collecting bones and other remains of long-dead creatures including mammoths, giant bears, and extinct camels and horses. Using DNA sequences extracted from these remains, she hopes to understand better how the distribution and abundance of species changed in response to major climate changes in the past. These results could help develop strategies for the conservation of species threatened by climate change today.
Beth has been widely honored for her research: she is a Royal Society University Research Fellow, Searle Scholar, Packard Fellow and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer. In 2009, she received a MacArthur “genius” award.
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