According to the video, what is the primary goal of Colossal in relation to extinction?

To make extinction a thing of the past by using gene editing and genetic engineering.

Describe the process Colossal is using to attempt to bring back the woolly mammoth. What existing animal is being used as a starting point, and what percentage of their genomes are already identical?

Colossal is using Asian elephants, whose genomes are 98% identical to mammoths, as a starting point. They plan to edit the remaining 2% of the elephant's genome to match the mammoth's, then use cloning techniques to create a 'Mammoth-ized' Asian elephant.

Explain how the tools of de-extinction can be used to help endangered species that are currently alive, using the example of the Mauritian pink pigeon.

For the Mauritian pink pigeon, de-extinction tools can be used to identify harmful mutations in their genome caused by inbreeding. By sequencing genomes from museum specimens of pink pigeons, scientists can replace the problematic parts of the living pigeons' genomes with the extinct genetic diversity, making them more robust and healthy.

Exploring De-Extinction

9th GradeScience20 min

Learning Objective

I can describe the process of de-extinction and its potential benefits and drawbacks.

Lesson Flow

Watch Video

14 min

De-Extinction: Can the Woolly Mammoth & Dodo Restore our Ecosystem?

Colossal Biosciences

Guided Notes

5 min

Key concepts students will learn:

•
Colossal aims to use gene editing and genetic engineering to make extinction a thing of the past and restore missing components of ecosystems.
•
De-extinction involves rebuilding extinct species for the present day by identifying core traits, augmenting them when necessary, and adding evolutionary adaptations to create resilient species.
•
The mammoth project aims to engineer Asian elephant cells to be more mammoth-like by tweaking about 2% of their genome using genome editing tools and then using cloning to create a Mammoth-ised Asian elephant.

Practice

10 min

3 questions • Multiple choice & Short answer

Exit Ticket

5 min

“Describe the general process of de-extinction as explained in the video. Then, name one potential benefit and one potential drawback of this process.”

Teacher Guide

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Answer keys for all questions
Differentiation strategies
Extension activities
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Exploring De-Extinction

Learning Objective

Lesson Flow

Watch Video

Guided Notes

Practice

Exit Ticket

Teacher Guide

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