Gene technology has enormous potential to bolster our response to climate change. Whilst climate change is imposing significant challenges to our economies and societies by threatening agricultural systems, food security and ecosystems, scientists are finding new applications of gene technology to help the natural world adapt to environmental change. In this webinar, two experts will present on the use of innovative genetic technologies in both animals and plants to address climate change challenges and mitigate some of the consequences for humanity.

Professor Kentaro Shimizu will talk about his study of wheat in the framework of the 10+ genome international consortium aiming to contribute to “the second green revolution”. Together with a genotyping technology called PRIMA, novel genetic variants found in Japanese wheat cultivars are expected to confer robustness in order to mitigate the impact of climate change on food security. Professor George Church will explain how gene technology could be used to bring back long-extinct species, presenting his fascinating project of reviving and restoring the woolly mammoth.