WPR interviews Professor Pelegri – do we need a genetic animal bank? – Genetics

In this photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is Elizabeth Ann, the first cloned black-footed ferret and first-ever cloned U.S. endangered species, at 50-days old on Jan. 29, 2021. Scientists have cloned the first U.S. endangered species, a black-footed ferret duplicated from the genes of an animal that died over 30 years ago. They hope the slinky predator named Elizabeth Ann and her descendants will improve the genetic diversity of a species once thought extinct but bred in captivity and reintroduced successfully to the wild. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP)

Professor Pelegri was recently interviewed by Wisconsin Public Radio, discussing the need for genetic banks to preserve the DNA of the world’s endangered species. Professor Paul Robbins, Director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, also joined the conversation. The interview aired on Thursday, October 14th at 8AM, and will air again Friday the 15th at 6AM. The recorded interview is also available from WPR’s website here: https://www.wpr.org/shows/do-we-need-genetic-animal-bank