The Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO), in partnership with the University of Strasbourg, is pleased to host a special screening of the documentary Hunt for the Oldest DNA (original English version), followed by a discussion, bringing together members of the university community and the wider research ecosystem.
Awarded an Emmy and recognized with several other awards and distinctions, the film offers a compelling window into how ambitious, long-term scientific questions and the perseverance to pursue them can reshape what we believe is possible.
This event will welcome researchers, PhD candidates, students, and members of the University of Strasbourg for an inspiring exchange on the scientific breakthroughs made possible by the study of ancient DNA—and on what these discoveries can teach us about past ecosystems and our changing planet.
The screening will be introduced by Frédérique Berrod, President of the University of Strasbourg; Pavel Kabat, Secretary-General of HFSPO and Richard Stone, documentary science producer and collaborator of HFSPO.
Event:
Screening: Hunt for the Oldest DNA
Date & time: Friday 12 December, 10:00
Venue: Palais Universitaire, Salle Pasteur — University of Strasbourg
Attendance: Free
Registration (mandatory): Register Here
More about the documentary: www.oldestdna.ca
Film:
Title: Hunt for the Oldest DNA
Written & Directed by NIOBE THOMPSON
Executive Producers: JOHN RUBIN; NIOBE THOMPSON; SEAN B. CARROLL; CHRIS SCHMIDT; JULIA CORT
Science Producer: RICHARD STONE
Featuring: ESKE WILLERSLEV; BETH SHAPIRO; NATALIA RYBCZYNSKI; MIKKEL WINTHER PEDERSEN; MAUREEN RAYMO
Synopsis
Hunt for the Oldest DNA tells the story of a maverick gene hunter, whose single-minded pursuit of an improbable scientific vision would tease and torment him before ending with a stunning triumph: a lost world recovered from a spoonful of dirt. Two decades ago, Eske Willerslev had a radical idea: Could DNA, the fragile chemical code of life, survive intact in frozen sediment for millennia? Fellow scientists called him crazy. But the Danish biologist set out to prove everybody wrong, and his perseverance paid off with a landmark breakthrough–with massive implications for how we understand the deep past. After many years of failure, Willerslev recovered the genetic traces of a lush forest ecosystem from before the Ice Age, more than two million years ago. The species identified from their DNA lived during the last hot epoch on Earth. Signaling a new era in DNA research, scientists can now use DNA to travel back millions of years and piece together vanished ecosystems. Today, they are poised to harvest the genetic secrets of these ancient worlds to help us adapt to our own climate future.
