de-extinction

American

[dee-ik-stingk-shuhn] / ˌdi ɪkˈstɪŋk ʃən /

noun

the act or process of bringing back an extinct life form or of producing a similar one by means of various techniques, such as cloning or genome modification using organic matter from preserved remains, or selective breeding to restore a trait that has become rare in the living population.

Example Sentences

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de-extinction

Colossal Biosciences insists that what they are doing with their de-extinction projects is conservation.

From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2025

But in April, Colossal announced a more substantial, still pretty cute achievement: the alleged de-extinction of the dire wolf, in the form of three wolfish pups named Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi.

From Salon ● May 15, 2025

The company’s other de-extinction hopes include reviving the woolly mammoth, the dodo, and the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2025

Dr Beth Shapiro, a biologist from Colossal Biosciences, said that this feat does represent de-extinction, which she described as recreating animals with the same characteristics.

From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2025

“This isn’t a Jurassic Park-style de-extinction project, but it will have a major impact,” said Durrell Kapan, a senior research fellow and the lead Academy researcher on the project.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 15, 2024

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023