Mammoths and tigers and rhinos, oh my: mapping de-extinction species and networks

Abstract

De-extinction initiatives targeting species like the woolly mammoth, thylacine, and northern white rhino reinscribe neocolonial networks through the extraction and circulation of resources. These projects leverage conservation narratives to legitimise biotechnological advancements, driving biomaterials, data, and capital to and from regions such as Siberia, Tasmania, and Kenya to Western technoscientific centres. A postcolonial science and technology studies (STS) framework demonstrates that conservation and biotechnology operate in tandem to reproduce historical patterns of geopolitical control by commodifying life and marginalising local sovereignty. Simultaneously, feminist STS emphasises how reproductive technologies in de-extinction–such as assisted reproduction and genetic engineering–reinforce power dynamics by controlling reproduction and regulating populations, transforming life into economic capital. Together, these frameworks illuminate the ways that contemporary technoscience continues to reproduce colonial patterns by managing life and resources through biotechnological interventions.