Woolly : the true story of the quest to revive one of history's most iconic extinct creatures

Science fiction becomes reality in this__Jurassic Park__-like story of the genetic resurrection of an extinct species—the woolly mammoth—by the bestselling author of__The Accidental Billionaires__and__The 37th Parallel__.“With his knack for turning narrative nonfiction into stories worthy of the best thriller fiction” (__Omnivoracious__), Ben Mezrich takes us on an exhilarating true adventure story from the icy terrain of Siberia to the cutting-edge genetic labs of Harvard University. A group of young scientists, under the guidance of Dr. George Church, the most brilliant geneticist of our time, works to make fantasy reality by sequencing the DNA of a frozen woolly mammoth harvested from above the Arctic circle, and splicing elements of that sequence into the DNA of a modern elephant. Will they be able to turn the hybrid cells into a functional embryo and bring the extinct creatures to life in our modern world?Along with Church and his team of Harvard scientists, a world-famous conservationist and a genius Russian scientist plan to turn a tract of the Siberian tundra into Pleistocene Park, populating the permafrost with ancient herbivores as a hedge against an environmental ticking time bomb. More than a story of genetics, this is a thriller illuminating the race against global warming, the incredible power of modern technology, the brave fossil hunters who battle polar bears and extreme weather conditions, and the ethical quandary of cloning extinct animals. Can we right the wrongs of our ancestors who hunted the woolly mammoth to extinction—and at what cost? "Science fiction meets reality in this thrilling Jurassic Park-like story of the quest to achieve the genetic resurrection of an extinct species--the Woolly Mammoth. ... From the frozen tundra of Siberia to the cutting-edge genetics labs of Harvard University, a group of young scientists--under the guidance of Dr. George Church, the most brilliant geneticist of our time--is working to make the impossible happen. Their task? To bring the Woolly Mammoth, a creature that has been extinct for three thousand years, back into our world. How will they do it? By sequencing the DNA of a frozen Woolly Mammoth harvested from above the Arctic Circle, and then splicing elements of it into the DNA of a modern elephant. Through this process, they hope to turn the hybrid cells into a functional embryo and bring the extinct creatures to life in our modern world. Pushing the boundaries of gene synthesis, stem cell research, and longevity science, their abilities are no longer confined to reading DNA, but now include writing DNA. Why will they do it? There's poetic justice in bringing back a once-mighty species made extinct by our own ancestors' talent as hunters. But more than that, the return of the Mammoth might be essential to preventing the extinction of the human race as well. The giant creatures will help to defuse an environmental ticking time bomb hidden in the frozen north. More than a story of genetics, Woolly is a scintillating adventure involving a host of extraordinary people, including the intrepid fossil hunters who battle polar bears and extreme conditions in the name of scientific advancement; a world-famous conservationist in California determined to bring back other extinct species; and a genius father-son team of Russian scientists working to turn a tract of the Siberian tundra into 'Pleistocene Park.' In shining a spotlight on the quest to bring back the Woolly Mammoth, Ben Mezrich has located the most intriguing and important scientific discovery story of our age."--Jacket Science fiction becomes reality in this Jurassic Park -like story of the genetic resurrection of an extinct species—the woolly mammoth—by the bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires and The 37th Parallel . “With his knack for turning narrative nonfiction into stories worthy of the best thriller fiction” ( Omnivoracious ), Ben Mezrich takes us on an exhilarating true adventure story from the icy terrain of Siberia to the cutting-edge genetic labs of Harvard University. A group of young scientists, under the guidance of Dr. George Church, the most brilliant geneticist of our time, works to make fantasy reality by sequencing the DNA of a frozen woolly mammoth harvested from above the Arctic circle, and splicing elements of that sequence into the DNA of a modern elephant. Will they be able to turn the hybrid cells into a functional embryo and bring the extinct creatures to life in our modern world? Along with Church and his team of Harvard scientists, a world-famous conservationist and a genius Russian scientist plan to turn a tract of the Siberian tundra into Pleistocene Park, populating the permafrost with ancient herbivores as a hedge against an environmental ticking time bomb. More than a story of genetics, this is a thriller illuminating the race against global warming, the incredible power of modern technology, the brave fossil hunters who battle polar bears and extreme weather conditions, and the ethical quandary of cloning extinct animals. Can we right the wrongs of our ancestors who hunted the woolly mammoth to extinction—and at what cost? The bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires and The 37th Parallel tells the fascinating Jurassic Park­-like story of the genetic restoration of an extinct species—the woolly mammoth. “Paced like a thriller...Woolly reanimates history and breathes new life into the narrative of nature” (NPR).With his “unparalleled” (Booklist, starred review) writing, Ben Mezrich takes us on an exhilarating and true adventure story from the icy terrain of Siberia to the cutting-edge genetic labs of Harvard University. A group of scientists work to make fantasy reality by splicing DNA from frozen woolly mammoth into the DNA of a modern elephant. Will they be able to turn the hybrid cells into a functional embryo and potentially bring the extinct creatures to our modern world? Along with this team of brilliant scientists, a millionaire plans to build the world's first Pleistocene Park and populate a huge tract of the Siberian tundra with ancient herbivores as a hedge against an environmental ticking time bomb that is hidden deep within the permafrost. More than a story of genetics, this is a thriller illuminating the real-life race against global warming, of the incredible power of modern technology, of the brave fossil hunters who battle polar bears and extreme weather conditions, and the ethical quandary of cloning extinct animals. This “rollercoaster quest for the past and future” (Christian Science Monitor) asks us if we can right the wrongs of our ancestors who hunted the woolly mammoth to extinction and at what cost?