Endangered Species & Extinction

Is extinction forever? Discussion topics include defining moments of when a species should be listed as endangered, conventional conservation, mixed ancestry species utility to "re-create" a complete genome of an extinct species, the mechanics of biotechnology, challenges for policy and regulation, and ethics of species protection, recovery, and de-extinction. In this course, students will lead discussions on readings relevant to species that are endangered or extinct. We will discuss these evolutionary topics through mini-lectures, discussions, assigned readings, and in-class debates.