Latest news with #AmericanCivilWar
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Ayrshire actor brings legendary American writer to life in new one-man show
Performing a solo show lasting over an hour is no mean feat. However, that is exactly what Ken O'Hara will be doing this summer at Ayr's Gaiety Theatre and Harbour Art Centre, Irvine with his new play, Mark Twain in Person. Ken presents his plays through his own company MAD Productions and has previously toured with his solo performances, supported by The Gaiety, including Catherine Czerkawska's The Price Of A Fish Supper, about the demise of the Ayrshire fishing industry, and Greg Oliver Bodine's adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Ken says: 'I love solo performance. It's terrifying, yes, but the creative aspect is so challenging and rewarding. Like Rab and Dickens in my previous productions, Mark Twain is telling stories and this demands interaction with the audience. 'I love the buzz of working with an audience at this level: watching them, listening to, and riding the waves of reaction.' The play is conceived by Ken, showing Mark Twain during one of his lecturing tours of the USA in 1900, using Twain's own material. Ken transforms himself into the character of Twain with great aplomb, donning the famous white suit, with cigar and whisky in hand, and has a remarkable resemblance to the man. The play will premiere at Ayr's Gaiety Theatre on August 21 and 22, and at the HAC, Irvine on August 30. Tickets are available from both venues' box office. The play is directed by Isi Nimmo. Get ready to be entertained by Twain's boyhood memories, his experience of the American Civil War, and many other stories from his life, including a strange-looking dog, his observations on humanity and his time as a River Boat pilot on the Mississippi. The play contains Twain's one-liners and witticisms with which he has become celebrated. Please be aware there is use of a racial epithet in the context of Twain's writing.
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First Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
History Today: When Biden became first president in 60 years to drop out of re-election bid
After a disastrous debate and questions being raised about his age, Joe Biden announced that he would not be seeking re-election in the 2024 presidential election on July 21 last year. He later announced that then-Vice President Kamala Harris would be the Democratic candidate replacing him read more Former President Joe Biden announced that he would not be running for a second term. File image/AP Former US President Joe Biden made history when he announced that he would not be running for a second term on July 21, 2024. The announcement was a result of his disastrous performance at the presidential debate with Republican candidate Donald Trump. If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers' ongoing series, History Today, will be your one-stop destination to explore key events. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On this day in 1861, the first Battle of Bull Run was fought. This was the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Here are some of the events that took place on this day across the world. Biden ended his reelection bid On July 21, 2024, then- President Joe Biden officially announced the end of his bid for re-election in the 2024 United States presidential election. This pivotal decision came after growing concerns within his own Democratic Party regarding his age and a widely criticised performance in a presidential debate against Republican frontrunner Donald Trump in June 2024. At 81 years old, Biden faced mounting pressure from fellow Democrats, many of whom publicly urged him to step aside to ensure the party had the strongest possible candidate for the November election. His withdrawal, coming less than four months before Election Day, marked a historic moment in modern US political history. This was the first time an incumbent president had ended a re-election campaign before Election Day since Lyndon B Johnson in 1968. US President and Republican candidate Donald Trump speaking during the presidential debate in 2024 along with former President and Democrat candidate Joe Biden. File image/Reuters Immediately following his announcement, President Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor for the Democratic nomination. Harris quickly launched her own presidential campaign that same day and rapidly garnered enough delegate support to replace Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee. Biden's decision, while jarring to some, was framed as being in the 'best interest of my party and the country' to allow him to focus solely on his duties as president for the remainder of his term. This event fundamentally reshaped the 2024 presidential race, setting the stage for a new dynamic in the general election. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The First Battle of Bull Run was fought The first major land battle of the American Civil War, the First Battle of Bull Run, was fought near Manassas, Virginia, on this day in 1861. It holds significant historical importance as the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Nearly 18,000 Union and 18,000 Confederate troops, largely unseasoned volunteers, clashed near Bull Run Creek in Virginia. Both Union and Confederate forces were largely composed of inexperienced volunteers, many of whom had signed up for only 90 days of service. This reflected the widespread belief that the war would be short. The Union forces, commanded by Brigadier General Irvin McDowell, marched from Washington DC. His aim - striking a decisive blow against the Confederate army led by Brigadier General PGT Beauregard, hoping to open the way to the Confederate capital in Richmond and quickly end the conflict. A painting of the first 'Battle of Bull Run', fought during the American Civil War. Wikimedia Commons The morning of July 21 began with Union crossings of Bull Run and assaults on Matthews Hill. Though Union forces initially pushed back Confederates, they encountered stiff resistance atop nearby Henry House Hill. There, Confederate Brigadier General Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson made his legendary stand, inspiring his troops and earning his enduring nickname. By late afternoon, a coordinated Confederate counterattack led by Beauregard, Jackson, Early and cavalry under JEB Stuart overwhelmed the fatigued Union troops. Panic ensued, turning a retreat into a chaotic rout. Muddy roads and fleeing spectators hindered orderly withdrawal toward Washington. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The result was a Confederate victory that shattered illusions of a short war. It exposed weaknesses in training, leadership and coordination on both sides. In its aftermath, McDowell was replaced by General George B McClellan and northern resolve hardened for a protracted conflict. The battlefield near Manassas would witness further carnage in the Second Battle of Bull Run two years later. This Day, This Year On this day in 2011, the US space shuttle program came to an end after 135 missions. The final book in the Harry Potter series was released. The world's lowest recorded temperature, i.e. 128.6 degrees F (-89.2 degrees C), was measured at Vostok Station, Antarctica.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
New book sheds light on Lincoln's misunderstood killer: ‘He's not that person at all'
Scott Ellsworth's new book, Midnight on the Potomac, is about the last year of the American civil war and 'the crime of the century': the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by the actor John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre in Washington on 14 April 1865. Asked how the book came to follow The Ground Breaking, his acclaimed history of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, Ellsworth said his thoughts focused on two areas: historical parallels to the modern-day US, and the true crime genre. 'One thing that was driving it was the sense that in the past few years, the nation has never been that divided in my lifetime, and I'm old enough to remember the late 60s and early 70s,' Ellsworth said. 'And the only other time we had been so divided was in the 1850s and 1860s, so that was a natural draw right there. 'And I was thinking about, 'What was the crime of the 19th century in the United States? And it was clearly the murder of Lincoln. And once I dug in and started to turn up some stuff, I realized there was something there.' A professor in Afro-American and African studies at the University of Michigan, fascinated by the civil war since childhood, Ellsworth knew full well Lincoln is one of the most-written-about figures in history. But Ellsworth is not your average professor. Having been described as 'a historian with the soul of a poet', and having won a PEN/ESPN award for literary sports writing too, he knew he could tell the story his way. 'I'm trying to reach a broad audience,' he said. 'I'm trying to reach readers who wouldn't necessarily, or very rarely, pick up a piece of nonfiction, certainly history. And I was lucky in the sense that I had this surfeit of material that is so great and so dramatic, the question is just how to put it together. Story is very important. 'I've got some early responses from folks who've read a lot on the subject and said, 'I never really thought of it in these ways.' I think I managed to turn up some stuff that most civil war readers aren't aware of.' In the popular imagination, Booth has come to be seen as a dysfunctional personality turned lone assassin, the first in a line that includes Lee Harvey Oswald, who killed John F Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, in 1963, and Thomas Michael Crooks, who tried to kill Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, just a year ago. Ellsworth set out to shatter that idea. 'On the image of Booth, I go into detail about the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, everybody calling him this genius – people getting turned away by the hundreds from his performances, women trying to storm into his dressing room. The popular conception of who he is [is] just wrong. He's not that person at all. 'It lives on today. On Broadway right now, there's the show, Oh Mary! [about Lincoln's wife] which is very raunchy and very hilarious. But in that, again, Booth is this kind of loser. That's ingrained in us – that's who he was, a disturbed loser. He wasn't. He was a star. 'And so if I can help change your mind and open your eyes to a different version of Booth, then you can start to see him in a different light.' Booth did not act alone. Confederate conspiracies ranged wide, from planners in Richmond, Virginia, to agents in Canada and in northern states with whom Booth schemed. In November 1864, agents attempted to burn down New York City, an incident Ellsworth recreates vividly. Confederate agents plotted first to kidnap Lincoln, then to kill him. Last year, as Ellsworth worked, the national spotlight found the Confederate plot, when the leading Trump ally Steve Bannon told a reporter Trump's frequent use of the word 'retribution' on the campaign trail was a nod to codewords used by the plotters. Events during the plot are familiar too: a near-miss as Lincoln rode from the White House to the Soldiers' Home in northern DC; Booth's presence in the crowd for Lincoln's second inaugural on 4 March 1865, visible in a famous photograph; the actor's response to remarks Lincoln gave on 11 April, the promise of citizenship for Black men prompting Booth to tell associates: 'That is the last speech he will ever make.' But among aspects Ellsworth holds to new light is a much less-known near-miss, on a frigid night in January 1865 when Lewis Powell, one of Booth's co-conspirators, hid in the shadows outside the war department, close by the White House, and waited for Lincoln to show. Ellsworth writes: 'Here was his chance. A well-aimed shot, even from behind the bushes, might work. That, or a quick dash for one at close range. 'Only he had not counted on the second man. Probably a bodyguard, and more than likely armed. And then there was the ground itself. 'Could he even run on it at all? What if he fell? Powell hesitated. The two men walked away. The moment was lost.' Follow Ellsworth to his extensive notes, and they reveal a 1907 memoir by David Homer Bates, one of the first military telegraphists in Lincoln's war department. That obscure volume and another, on Civil War Weather in Virginia, furnish key details. Elsewhere on Ellsworth's wide canvas, a little less obscure but no less fascinating, is Lois Adams, a Michigan newspaper reporter who worked as a government clerk in Washington and sent detailed letters back to her state, which Ellsworth uses to enrich his picture of wartime DC. 'There was this wonderful librarian at Central Michigan University who discovered Adams's letters and put them together in a book,' Ellsworth said, referring to Evelyn Leasher. 'I ran into the book, and the more I read, I just thought of Adams, 'She's just dynamite.' She is a keen observer of lots of things … about Washington during the war. She added such a richness to things, and she saw through things immediately. 'And so I kept inserting her throughout the book, because I think she adds such a fascinating perspective but she sees she's really undeservedly forgotten. She needs a lot more attention.' Ellsworth also presents the stories of the former slaves who followed the Union armies to freedom as the war neared its end, and of African American leaders who sought to seize the chance of liberty, the remarkable Henry Highland Garnet prominent among them. After Lincoln's killing, Booth escaped into Virginia. After a 12-day chase – the subject of the recent Apple TV miniseries Manhunt – the killer was killed in turn. Lincoln's body was taken back to Springfield, Illinois, the funeral train retracing his journey to Washington in 1861. Ellsworth concludes his own story at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac from DC, on the grounds of the home of Robert E Lee, the leading Confederate general. In doing so, Ellsworth asks readers to look beyond the death of Lincoln, to the country he left behind, the 'Rebirth of America' of the subtitle to Ellsworth's book. At the cemetery, in section 27, people once enslaved lie with Black and white soldiers who died for the Union cause. Ellsworth said he set his final scene there in order 'to remind Americans of the glories of our past, and of the incredible Americans that have built this country. 'One thing I want people to know is how close we came to losing our country to the Confederacy, of slavery surviving in some form, for a while at least. It's just by the skin of our teeth that the Union is held together, but it was held together by this remarkable coalition which we'd never really seen before, in the US, of men and women, Black and white, native-born and immigrant people putting aside differences to come together, ultimately, to work for a common goal. 'We need to honor the courage and grit that these loyal citizens showed, to endure those four years of hell. One out of every 50 Americans died during the war. Every family in the north lost somebody, and they were able to hang in there through it all. I want us to recognize that, and to recognize that we have plenty of heroes in our past, and I think it's helpful to look toward them as some of our institutions are under attack now, and remember that they paid a very high price. 'The runaways, the formerly enslaved, the Union soldiers, they could not have imagined the America that we have today. But we wouldn't have it, had it not been for them. They helped to build it, and we owe them something.' Midnight on the Potomac is out now.
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
New book sheds light on Lincoln's misunderstood killer: ‘he's not that person at all'
Scott Ellsworth's new book, Midnight on the Potomac, is about the last year of the American civil war and 'the crime of the century': the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by the actor John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre in Washington on 14 April 1865. Asked how the book came to follow The Ground Breaking, his acclaimed history of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, Ellsworth said his thoughts focused on two areas: historical parallels to the modern-day US, and the true crime genre. 'One thing that was driving it was the sense that in the past few years, the nation has never been that divided in my lifetime, and I'm old enough to remember the late 60s and early 70s,' Ellsworth said. 'And the only other time we had been so divided was in the 1850s and 1860s, so that was a natural draw right there. 'And I was thinking about, 'What was the crime of the 19th century in the United States? And it was clearly the murder of Lincoln. And once I dug in and started to turn up some stuff, I realized there was something there.' A professor in Afro-American and African studies at the University of Michigan, fascinated by the civil war since childhood, Ellsworth knew full well Lincoln is one of the most-written-about figures in history. But Ellsworth is not your average professor. Having been described as 'a historian with the soul of a poet', and having won a PEN/ESPN award for literary sports writing too, he knew he could tell the story his way. 'I'm trying to reach a broad audience,' he said. 'I'm trying to reach readers who wouldn't necessarily, or very rarely, pick up a piece of nonfiction, certainly history. And I was lucky in the sense that I had this surfeit of material that is so great and so dramatic, the question is just how to put it together. Story is very important. 'I've got some early responses from folks who've read a lot on the subject and said, 'I never really thought of it in these ways.' I think I managed to turn up some stuff that most civil war readers aren't aware of.' In the popular imagination, Booth has come to be seen as a dysfunctional personality turned lone assassin, the first in a line that includes Lee Harvey Oswald, who killed John F Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, in 1963, and Thomas Michael Crooks, who tried to kill Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, just a year ago. Ellsworth set out to shatter that idea. 'On the image of Booth, I go into detail about the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, everybody calling him this genius – people getting turned away by the hundreds from his performances, women trying to storm into his dressing room. The popular conception of who he is [is] just wrong. He's not that person at all. 'It lives on today. On Broadway right now, there's the show, Oh Mary! [about Lincoln's wife] which is very raunchy and very hilarious. But in that, again, Booth is this kind of loser. That's ingrained in us – that's who he was, a disturbed loser. He wasn't. He was a star. 'And so if I can help change your mind and open your eyes to a different version of Booth, then you can start to see him in a different light.' Booth did not act alone. Confederate conspiracies ranged wide, from planners in Richmond, Virginia, to agents in Canada and in northern states with whom Booth schemed. In November 1864, agents attempted to burn down New York City, an incident Ellsworth recreates vividly. Confederate agents plotted first to kidnap Lincoln, then to kill him. Last year, as Ellsworth worked, the national spotlight found the Confederate plot, when the leading Trump ally Steve Bannon told a reporter Trump's frequent use of the word 'retribution' on the campaign trail was a nod to codewords used by the plotters. Events during the plot are familiar too: a near-miss as Lincoln rode from the White House to the Soldiers' Home in northern DC; Booth's presence in the crowd for Lincoln's second inaugural on 4 March 1865, visible in a famous photograph; the actor's response to remarks Lincoln gave on 11 April, the promise of citizenship for Black men prompting Booth to tell associates: 'That is the last speech he will ever make.' But among aspects Ellsworth holds to new light is a much less-known near-miss, on a frigid night in January 1865 when Lewis Powell, one of Booth's co-conspirators, hid in the shadows outside the war department, close by the White House, and waited for Lincoln to show. Ellsworth writes: 'Here was his chance. A well-aimed shot, even from behind the bushes, might work. That, or a quick dash for one at close range. 'Only he had not counted on the second man. Probably a bodyguard, and more than likely armed. And then there was the ground itself. 'Could he even run on it at all? What if he fell? Powell hesitated. The two men walked away. The moment was lost.' Follow Ellsworth to his extensive notes, and they reveal a 1907 memoir by David Homer Bates, one of the first military telegraphists in Lincoln's War Department. That obscure volume and another, on Civil War Weather in Virginia, furnish key details. Elsewhere on Ellsworth's wide canvas, a little less obscure but no less fascinating, is Lois Adams, a Michigan newspaper reporter who worked as a government clerk in Washington and sent detailed letters back to her state, which Ellsworth uses to enrich his picture of wartime DC. 'There was this wonderful librarian at Central Michigan University who discovered Adams's letters and put them together in a book,' Ellsworth said, referring to Evelyn Leasher. 'I ran into the book, and the more I read, I just thought of Adams, 'She's just dynamite.' She is a keen observer of lots of things … about Washington during the war. She added such a richness to things, and she saw through things immediately. 'And so I kept inserting her throughout the book, because I think she adds such a fascinating perspective but she sees she's really undeservedly forgotten. She needs a lot more attention.' Ellsworth also presents the stories of the former slaves who followed the Union armies to freedom as the war neared its end, and of African American leaders who sought to seize the chance of liberty, the remarkable Henry Highland Garnet prominent among them. After Lincoln's killing, Booth escaped into Virginia. After a 12-day chase – the subject of the recent Apple TV miniseries Manhunt – the killer was killed in turn. Lincoln's body was taken back to Springfield, Illinois, the funeral train retracing his journey to Washington in 1861. Ellsworth concludes his own story at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac from DC, on the grounds of the home of Robert E Lee, the leading Confederate general. In doing so, Ellsworth asks readers to look beyond the death of Lincoln, to the country he left behind, the 'Rebirth of America' of the subtitle to Ellsworth's book. At the cemetery, in section 27, people once enslaved lie with Black and white soldiers who died for the Union cause. Ellsworth said he set his final scene there in order 'to remind Americans of the glories of our past, and of the incredible Americans that have built this country. 'One thing I want people to know is how close we came to losing our country to the Confederacy, of slavery surviving in some form, for a while at least. It's just by the skin of our teeth that the Union is held together, but it was held together by this remarkable coalition which we'd never really seen before, in the US, of men and women, Black and white, native-born and immigrant people putting aside differences to come together, ultimately, to work for a common goal. 'We need to honor the courage and grit that these loyal citizens showed, to endure those four years of hell. One out of every 50 Americans died during the war. Every family in the north lost somebody, and they were able to hang in there through it all. I want us to recognize that, and to recognize that we have plenty of heroes in our past, and I think it's helpful to look toward them as some of our institutions are under attack now, and remember that they paid a very high price. 'The runaways, the formerly enslaved, the Union soldiers, they could not have imagined the America that we have today. But we wouldn't have it, had it not been for them. They helped to build it, and we owe them something.' Midnight on the Potomac is out now.
Straits Times
13-07-2025
- Science
- Straits Times
Cryo-conservation: How animal cells in cold storage can help with wildlife protection in S'pore
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A researcher from Mandai Wildlife Group holding up a tray of cultured cells extracted from a cold-blooded animal. SINGAPORE - Singapore is building a 'Noah's Ark' of South-east Asian animals, and its collection – housed at two locations here – is slowly swelling with the region's mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles. These repositories of life at the NUS Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum and Mandai Wildlife Reserve contain just traces of these animals. Their cells and tissues, stored at sub-zero temperatures, can help researchers better understand these species, contributing to their conservation. Special cooling technologies used by Mandai Wildlife Group, which manages Singapore's five wildlife parks, can even keep these cells alive. When such cells are thawed, they can continue to grow and replicate. This paves the way for novel applications of technology like in-vitro fertilisation. Far into the future, researchers could potentially use this to bring extinct animals back to life, although there are no plans to do so for now. In January, Mandai Nature – the conservation arm of Mandai Wildlife Group – achieved a breakthrough: Researchers there successfully banked the live cells of 10 species of birds. These include the critically endangered Bali myna, and endangered lilac-crowned amazon and milky stork. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Govt will continue to support families, including growing group of seniors: PM Wong at PCF Family Day Singapore From Normal stream to Parliament: 3 Singapore politicians share their journeys World Deal or no deal? EU faces critical decision in response to Trump's latest tariff salvo Singapore Segregated recycling bins found to lower contamination rate as more spring up Sport Two participants injured after another breached safety protocol during Pesta Sukan archery event Asia Mahathir discharged from hospital after feeling fatigued during birthday gathering Singapore Medics treat 7 after blaze at HDB block lift lobby in Chai Chee Singapore I lost my daughter to Kpod addiction: Father of 19-year-old shares heartbreak and lessons Previously, only live mammalian cells were effectively banked in the Republic's wildlife parks. Dr Sonja Luz, chief executive of Mandai Nature, said this marks the latest addition to Singapore's conservation toolkit. By shelving away the cells of threatened species, the odds of saving them in the future – should their natural population continue to dwindle – may significantly improve, she said. The promise of biobanking Biobanking is the storage and preservation of biological material from animals, plants and other forms of living matter. It is most often done through cryopreservation, where samples are kept frozen at sub-zero temperatures. One of the earliest biobanks opened during the American Civil War in 1862, in Washington's Army Medical Museum. Back then, the biobank – which mostly held the amputated limbs and diseased organs of humans – was used to expand the understanding of disease and war injuries, and develop measures to better care for American soldiers. Biobanking gained traction internationally in the late 1990s with the advent of the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories, the world's first global biobanking society. In the last few decades, there has been an exponential rise in the burden of chronic diseases. Biobanking allowed researchers to keep records of the changes in genes and proteins affiliated with different conditions. As biobanking technology became cheaper and more accessible, the scientific community started to recognise the potential for applying it outside of the medical realm. Conservationists, in particular, started to take notice. With a third of the planet's flora and fauna being threatened by extinction, these repositories serve as valuable homes for the tissue and genetic material of endangered species. Singapore got its first conservation biobank in 2009. The result of a collaboration between the National University of Singapore and Mandai Wildlife Group, then known as Wildlife Reserves Singapore, the biobank focused on storing dead cells and tissues for research. The biobank at NUS Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum houses approximately 33,400 samples of animals cells and tissue. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO Today, that biobank is helmed by the university's Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum. It houses approximately 33,400 samples from invertebrates like molluscs, and vertebrates such as mammals and birds. Currently, its samples span 3,283 species. Mr Marcus Chua, the museum's mammal curator, said its mammalian specimens are mainly sourced from animal carcasses, such as roadkill. Some faecal samples – including those of the critically endangered Raffles' banded langur, a type of primate – are also stored, said Mr Foo Maosheng, who oversees the museum's insect and cryogenic collections. The samples are used mainly for research. 'If we're trying to find out what the Raffles' banded langurs are eating, for example, we can compare their faecal samples to the genetic material of different plants, to see which trees they feed on,' said Mr Foo. Mr Chua added: 'Any kind of material stored in the cryogenic collection can be pulled out for research, rather than going out to the field to collect them again.' In February 2018, a group of otter researchers from Singapore, Brazil and the US approached the museum for a loan of tissues of Singapore's two otter species – the smooth-coated otter and Asian small-clawed otter – in the hope of studying their genetic data. Researchers can also use biobank data to solve wildlife crime. For example, investigators looking to trace the origins of a wild animal trafficked into Singapore could cross-reference international databases to find out where it could have come from, given that sufficient countries maintain such databases. Growing conservation potential Singapore's biobanking initiative was further developed in 2012 when giant pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia arrived in Singapore. These bears do not breed well in captivity, so Mandai set up its own biobanking facility to store the semen of the male panda for artificial insemination. During the process, which takes place in a laboratory, the team places banked sperm together with oocytes, or cells from the ovary. Should the two successfully combine to yield a fertilised egg, it can then be transferred into the uterus or cervix of the female panda. For cells to continue to be viable after they are thawed, they must be cryopreserved in a special way – by adding anti-freeze. This prevents the formation of ice crystals during the freezing process, which would rip up the banked cells and render them unviable, said Dr Oz Pomp, lab head at Mandai Nature. Following the success at preserving panda sperm, the Mandai team started collecting sperm samples from other animals, said Dr Luz. 'Over time, it became more clear that there are other opportunities to biobanking than just blood and gametes,' she added. The wildlife parks also offer Mandai's veterinary team access to rare and threatened species, from which valuable samples can be obtained. Dr Luz said: 'Zoos house many species that are on the brink of extinction. This has sparked discussions in the conservation community around how we can do what botanical gardens have been doing for hundreds of years – start banking genetic material.' With more wildlife species being pushed to the brink of extinction owing to habitat loss or poaching, the race is on to preserve their genetic data before they are gone forever, said Dr Luz. 'We have a lot of 'little too late' scenarios, where we're down to the last few individuals,' she said. By then, the organisms remaining in the wild may have limited genetic diversity, and may be less equipped to survive crises such as disease outbreaks. 'But if we started banking earlier, we would have a better chance to save some of these species, like the northern white rhino, Yangtze giant softshell turtle and saola,' Dr Luz added. For this to happen, biobanking must be done by zoological institutions with access to different animals. But not all of them may have the resources or capacity to start building such banks. The process of extracting and banking cells is ethical, said Dr Luz, as long as the methodologies applied are non-invasive and appropriate, and no animal suffers. Mandai has been experimenting with developing new ways of obtaining cells that can be easily replicated without specialised equipment, said Dr Xie Shangzhe, vice-president of veterinary healthcare at Mandai Wildlife Group. For example, the research team found a way to obtain animal cells from subcutaneous fat found right under the skin. This allows veterinarians to collect sterile cell samples with just a needle – an improvement from the past where samples were taken from animal skin, which is dirtier and more prone to contamination. Once samples are contaminated, their integrity may be compromised, making it difficult to utilise them. Mandai has also begun developing techniques to extract other types of cells from live animals, including non-mammalian species. The team found success in growing fibroblasts, or cells that contribute to the formation of connective tissue, from fallen pin feathers, which are the developing feathers of birds. Dr Xie said: 'These breakthroughs by Mandai, they are simple things that scientists in other parts of the region can replicate easily. 'Things like getting feathers or fat – doing a few simple steps to get something that can be banked – I think this is what makes our work unique.' Promises and perils Now, inspired by stem-cell research developments in humans, conservationists are also looking into their potential to prevent animals from going extinct. A group of cells known as induced pluripotent stem cells are especially powerful as they can be differentiated into a variety of cell types, such as sperm and eggs. In 2020, Mandai's research team successfully reprogrammed extracted live skin cells from the North Bornean orangutan into induced pluripotent stem cells. (From left) Dr Oz Pomp, Dr Xie Shangzhe and Dr Sonja Luz oversee biobanking efforts at Mandai's wildlife parks. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI Most cells have a finite capability to proliferate, and stop multiplying after a few divisions, said Dr Pomp. But induced pluripotent stem cells can proliferate forever, allowing conservationists to 'make as much material as needed', added Dr Pomp, a stem-cell biologist who in October 2024 joined Mandai Nature to apply his skills to wildlife protection. Moreover, the ability of the pluripotent stem cell to differentiate into different cell types opens up new avenues for preventing extinction. 'Previous studies in mice have shown that it is possible to generate sperm and egg from the same individual – from the same male, for example,' Dr Pomp said. 'It's just a matter of time until we can tailor this technology to other species as well.' The future of banked material How these banked samples are used needs to be more deeply considered, said the conservationists. De-extinction, or the process of resurrecting a species that has died out, is one such example, said the museum's Mr Chua. In April, Dallas-based biotech company Colossal Biosciences made news when it announced it had created three 'dire wolf' pups , an extinct creature that roamed North America more than 10,000 years ago. The firm had extracted and sequenced DNA from fossilised dire wolf remains, and then compared it against the genome of the modern grey wolf. It then edited some of the wolf's genes so that it outwardly resembled its ancient counterpart. But many researchers were sceptical of the claim. Said Mr Chua: 'At what point do you edit enough that it becomes a dire wolf? 50-50? Or 51 per cent? For now, it's a wolf hybrid, basically.' On July 9, the firm announced its next project: attempting to resurrect the extinct South Island giant moa, a 3.6m-tall flightless bird that once lived on the South Island of New Zealand, but vanished around 600 years ago. De-extinction projects can be costly. Given that biodiversity loss is taking place at unprecedented rates, the decision to invest money in trying to de-extinct species, rather than save living ones, may also raise eyebrows, Mr Chua said. Mandai's Dr Luz said: 'For now, our aim is to collect, freeze and store as many samples as possible to create a safety net for some of the most threatened species of our region. Our goal is conservation, and nothing but that.' Singapore's biobanking efforts are not unlike saving for a rainy day. Just like how the animals were led two by two onto Noah's Ark to assure their continued existence after a flood, so, too, do the samples in Singapore's biobanks represent a lifeline for species on the brink of extinction. Hopefully, it is one that would never need to be used.
