Revive & Restore Press Coverage
Research and Rescue: Saving Species from Ourselves
“I soon learned, however, that extinction is not actually so straightforward. We humans tend to tinker, to tweak. We try to fix what we have broken. Even as we attempt to preserve other living things — northern white rhinoceros, California condor, black-footed ferret — we change them. And that’s nothing new in human history.“
Long Reads
October, 2019
Martha, the last of her species, might lose that distinction if scientists have their way
“The de-extinction efforts underway don’t really re-create the bird’s entire DNA. Instead, scientists start by decoding DNA from extinct passenger pigeons and, through bio-technology, change the DNA code of living band-tailed pigeons to match the passenger pigeon’s code. By changing enough of the code, and through tried-and-true conservation practices, scientists hope the new birds look and behave the same way that their historic counterparts did.”
Cincinnati Enquirer
August 29, 2019
By Land and sea, Looking to Restore a Planet in Crisis
“Buried deep within the woods of the Manuel Correllus State Forest [on Martha’s Vineyard] is a statue of Booming Ben, the world’s final heath hen. Once common all along the eastern seaboard, the species was hunted to near-extinction in the 1870s. Although a small number of the birds found refuge on Martha’s Vineyard, they officially disappeared in 1932 — with Booming Ben, the last of their kind, calling for female mates who were no longer there to hear him…Since 2013, however, a group of cutting-edge researchers with the group Revive and Restore have been hard at work to bring back the heath hen as part of an ambitious avian de-extinction project. “
The Vineyard Gazette
August 22, 2019
The Shorebirds of Delaware Bay Are Going Hungry
“On their migrations north, famished birds stop to feast on eggs laid by horseshoe crabs. But the crabs were overfished, and conservationists say that some bird species may never recover…One of them, the red knot, has been listed as a threatened species. Since 2000, red knot numbers have plunged as low as 10,000 in some years, around one-ninth of the level in the 1980s. At the moment, the population hovers at about 30,000, still too low to be sustainable, conservationists claim.”
The New York Times
June 3, 2019
Meet the Scientists Bringing Extinct Species Back from the Dead
“The last known passenger pigeon—a bird named Martha—died in captivity at a Cincinnati zoo in 1914. Her demise sparked the passing of modern conservation laws to protect other endangered species in the U.S.” Now, more than 100 years later, the Passenger Pigeon is again advancing conservation.
Although the de-extinction of the Passenger Pigeon will likely take decades, de-extinction research is already generating foundational science that could transform bird conservation. Furthermore, Passenger Pigeon de-extinction offers a new opportunity to achieve long-term conservation goals for woodland forests in the eastern United States.
Wall Street Journal
October 9, 2018
Disease-Resistant Ferrets?
“Through genetic alterations, a California conservation organization hopes to one day create disease-resistant black-footed ferrets. Revive & Restore, of Sausalito, California, has been issued permits by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to do genetic research on the cells of the endangered ferrets. The permits are a first for the Service and, if successful to the end goal, could result in the first-ever release of genetically altered endangered species in the wild.”
Powell Tribune
November 13, 2018
Horseshoe Crabs Are at Risk – So Endotoxin Tests Are, Too
“The horseshoe crab’s amebocytes, or blood cells, contain a clotting agent that forms in the presence of Gram-negative bacteria. This agent, which is used to detect endotoxin in pharmaceutical and medical device products, may become scarce if horseshoe crab populations continue to decline.”
GEN: Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
October 1, 2018
Stop the Bleeding
“After more than a decade, an alternative to the blood-based test seems to be gaining traction in the biomedical community—and it could ultimately spare horseshoe crabs and bolster the species that depend on them.”
Property and Environment Research Center magazine
July 2, 2018
Inside the Biomedical Revolution to Save Horseshoe Crabs and the Shorebirds That Need Them
“It took a dedicated birder to convince pharma giant Eli Lilly to use a synthetic compound instead of horseshoe crab blood in a mandatory medical test. Now, he hopes the rest of industry will follow.”
National Audubon Society magazine
May 11, 2018
The Last Days of the Blue-Blood Harvest
“Every year, more than 400,000 crabs are bled for the miraculous medical substance that flows through their bodies—now pharmaceutical companies are finally committing to an alternative that doesn’t harm animals.”
The Atlantic
May 9, 2018
These Technologies Could Save the Northern White Rhino From Extinction
“In an effort to save the species, scientists at the San Diego Zoo Global are developing stem cell technologies to create a new generation of northern white rhinos.”
Fortune
March 20, 2018

The Incredible Science of Ancient DNA
“Ancient DNA is an amazing resource for scientists aiming to learn about – and learn from – the past, and researchers are looking forward to a future filled with untold possibilities.”
Earth Touch News Network
February 6, 2018

How the “Dr. Dolittle of Dinos” Plans to Resurrect Woolly Mammoths
“If scientist Ben Novak has his way, the phrase ‘dead as a dodo’ will soon need a rethink. Discover how he’s bringing extinct species back to life, and why it’s nothing like Jurassic Park.”
Red Bull Discover
January 22, 2018
TED 2017
Stewart Brand Discusses Woolly Mammoth De-Extinction and Genetic Rescue
“Because we’re in the de-extinction business, the preventing-extinction business with Revive & Restore, we started looking at what’s actually going on with extinction.”

Saving Sudan
“Humans have all but eradicated the northern white rhinoceros from the planet. Sudan, the last male northern white rhinoceros on Earth, is the last hope to bring the species back.”
Buzz Feed News
December 29, 2017
How Close Are We to Resurrecting Extinct Species?
Seeker
December 3, 2017
“Sometimes people think about de-extinction like, oh wouldn’t it be cool to have a passenger pigeon, or a California grizzly, or some other species? But it’s not just about that species and it being cool… it’s about those species have a role in the ecosystem, which is now empty.”

Should genetic engineering be used as a tool for conservation?
Transform Magazine
October 2017

Can These Scientists Bring Back the Mammoth?
The Boston Globe
June 16, 2017

Extinction is a Bummer; Let’s Bring Back the Dead.
The Boston Globe
May 26, 2017

Welcome to Pleistocene Park
The Atlantic
April 2017

We Might Soon Resurrect Extinct Species. Is It Worth the Cost?
The New York Times
March 20, 2017

De-Extinction: Return of the Woolly Mammoth?
The BBC
March 3, 2017

Why Extinction Doesn’t Have to be Forever Anymore
NBC News
December 12, 2016

The Case for Bringing Back the Passenger Pigeon
Nautilus
November 17, 2016

Resurrecting the Heath Hen
UnDark Magazine
October 14, 2016
Using Technology to Reverse Extinction
The Atlantic
October 14, 2017

Should we bring extinct species back from the dead?
Science
September 26, 2016

Could Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Save Hawaii’s Endangered Birds?
The New Yorker
September 9, 2016

Heath Hen Tops Extinction List
Vineyard Gazette
July 28, 2017

Re-Coding for Conservation
Bay Nature
June 27, 2016

De-Extinction in Action: Scientists Consider a Plan to Reinject Long-Gone DNA into the Black-Footed Ferret Population
Scientific American
August 1, 2016

How the DNA Revolution is Changing Us
National Geographic Magazine
August 1, 2016

Tweaking Gene to Save Species
The New York Times
April 16, 2016

IN THE RACE TO SAVE SPECIES, GMOS ARE COMING TO NATURE
Ensia
August 24, 2015

Heath Hen as Gateway Bird for De-extinction Inches Closer to Reality
The Vineyard Gazette
August 20, 2015

The Jurassic Park Science to Bring Back Dinosaurs is Almost Here
Gizmodo
June 10, 2015

Heath Hen Project Advances Quickly
The Vineyard Gazette
March 5, 2015

The Time Traveler: George Church Plans to Bring Back a Creature That Went Extinct 4,000 Years Ago
Re/code
December 8, 2014

Heath Hen Raises Bar on De-Extinction Debate
The Vineyard Gazette
July 17, 2014

Once Flourishing Heath Hen Made Its Last Stand on Island
The Vineyard Gazette
July 17, 2014
Historic Film Shows Heath Hens Alive and Dancing on Vineyard
The Vineyard Gazette
July 17, 2014

Heath Hen’s Boom Could Echo Again on Martha’s Vineyard
Martha’s Vineyard Times
July 16, 2014

Why the Passenger Pigeon Went Extinct
Audubon Magazine
May/June Issue 2014

Potential to revive extinct animals raises ethical questions
PBS Newshour
April 22, 2014
Reawakening Extinct Species
Quest, KQED video
April 22, 2014

New Efforts to Bring Extinct Species Back to Life
The Diane Rehm Show
April 10, 2014

Never Say Never; Heath Hen May Get Its Boom Back
The Vineyard Gazette
April 3, 2014

The New York Times Magazine
February 27, 2014