Back from the Brink: Earth’s Second Chance

My research looks at whether specially designed wetlands, called Integrated Constructed Wetlands, can help clean up water from small rural wastewater treatment plants. These wetlands act like natural filters, removing excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus that can harm rivers, lakes and the environment. I’m trying to find out how well these wetlands work and whether they could be a practical solution for keeping our water clean in rural areas.

De-extinction is the process of bringing extinct species back to life. This idea has captured the media spotlight in the last year, as an American biotech company has made claims that it has successfully brought back dire wolves, and are working on mammoths, dodos and other species too. But many questions remain unanswered. Has de-extinction actually been achieved? What would successful de-extinction mean? Is it even a good idea to bring back extinct species? In this talk I will dive into the science behind de-extinction and try to separate the scientific reality from the media hype.