ELSI Friday Forum: Dextinction and Deliberate Extinction 

ELSI Friday Forum | December 12th, 2025 | 12PM ET/ 9AM PT via Zoom

From the dire wolf to the screwworm, scientists are turning the tools of genetics to the elimination–and recreation–of entire nonhuman species. This webinar explores how and why genetic technologies might be used to eradicate some species and recreate others, with a focus on recent efforts and near future possibilities. The ethics of manipulating other species in these ways will then be considered: How should risks and benefits be understood and weighed? How might both deextinction and deliberate extinction challenge and alter understandings of the human relationship to nature? And how should such existential decisions be made?

Panelists:

• James Collins, PhD Arizona State University
• Beth Shapiro, PhD Colossal Biosciences

• Alta Charo, JD University of Wisconsin, Madison