Join world-renowned evolutionary biologist Dr. Beth Shapiro as she takes us on a fascinating journey through the astonishing science and fierce debate surrounding genetic engineering.

Shapiro is a pioneer and global leader in ancient DNA research. As a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz (UCSC), director of the UCSC Paleogenomics Lab, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, Shapiro’s groundbreaking work has redefined our understanding of evolutionary biology.

A Rhodes Scholar and MacArthur “genius,” Shapiro collects the remains of ice-age giants, including mammoths and saber-toothed cats, during her extensive travels through the Arctic. By extracting and analyzing ancient DNA, she reveals how changing climates and human activity have shaped our modern biodiversity.

Shapiro’s research has been published in top scientific journals, including Science and Nature, and she is a regular presence on the BBC, National Geographic, and Discovery. Her first book, How to Clone a Mammoth, has won multiple awards, including the 2016 AAAS/Subaru Prize for Excellence in Science Books.

This captivating presentation offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from one of the world’s leading experts in paleogenomics about a scientific frontier where the future may look a lot like the past