After a SOLEIL synchrotron video highlighted my amber fossilization experiment at the PUMA beamline in early June 2022—coinciding with the release of the third Jurassic World film—my research was again showcased, this time in the introduction of a French TV documentary broadcast today at 21:10 on RMC Découverte.
The documentary realized by Blandine Josselin and entitled “Mammouths, dinosaures : Peut-on vraiment les faire revenir ?” [Mammoths, Dinosaurs: Can we really bring them back?] explores the scientific advances that are bringing the idea of de-extinction—reviving extinct species or recreating close equivalents—closer to reality. Once confined to science fiction with Jurassic Park, techniques such as cloning, fossil DNA analysis, and artificial wombs are indeed now at the center of ambitious projects to revive long-lost species. From the dire wolf to the woolly mammoth, researchers worldwide are investigating how and whether animals of the past could return in the near future. Through striking footage and exclusive interviews, the film takes viewers inside cutting-edge laboratories where science and imagination meet. I was invited to present the scientific discoveries that inspired Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, and to discuss both their legacy and the latest research attempting to uncover the early mechanisms of fossilization in amber.
The documentary can be viewed here in Replay (in French, and might require to be located in France).