In a world dominated by human interference and rapid climate change, species large and small are increasingly vulnerable to extinction. In Resurrection Science, journalist M.R. O’Connor explores the extreme measures scientists are taking to try and save them, from captive breeding and translocating genetically rare individuals to frozen zoos and de-extinction. From puma tracking in Florida’s swamps, looking for clues in ancient African rainforests, and contemplating the resurrection of Neanderthals, O’Connor takes the reader on an intrepid journey to the cutting edge of bio-technology.
Resurrection Science also goes in search of answers to the philosophical and ethical questions of an age in which we ‘play god’ with earth’s biodiversity. What should we preserve of wilderness as we hurtle towards a future in which technology pervades nearly every aspect of our lives? How can we co-exist with species when our existence and their survival appear to be pitted against one another? And what could be gained from bringing back the Tasmanian Tiger?
