by Ben Mezrich
First published 2017
Dr. George Church leads a team of young scientists at Harvard University in an ambitious quest to bring back an extinct species. The geneticist and his researchers work to decode DNA extracted from a frozen woolly mammoth discovered in Siberia's frozen landscape. They splice genetic material from the ancient creature into modern elephant cells, racing to create viable hybrid embryos. Church collaborates with a renowned conservationist and a brilliant Russian researcher who share his vision of restoring lost ecosystems. Together they plan to establish Pleistocene Park in the Siberian wilderness, where resurrected mammoths and other ancient plant-eaters would roam the tundra once again. Their project represents more than scientific curiosity. The team believes these massive herbivores could help stabilize the permafrost and prevent a looming environmental catastrophe. Mezrich follows the scientists from their high-tech laboratories to the remote Arctic, chronicling their struggles with cutting-edge genetic engineering and the monumental challenge of reversing extinction itself.
Genres: science-fiction, historical-fiction, adventure, non-fiction
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: race-against-time, scientific-discovery
Setting: Harvard University, Siberia
Period: Present Day
228 pages · ebook · Atria Books