Beth Shapiro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Beth Shapiro
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Shapiro in 2010
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Beth Alison Shapiro
January 14, 1976 Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Known for | How to Clone a Mammoth |
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| Thesis | Inferring evolutionary history and processes using ancient DNA (2003) |
| Doctoral advisor | Alan J. Cooper |
Beth Alison Shapiro, born on January 14, 1976, is an American scientist who studies how living things change over time, focusing on their DNA. She is an expert in evolutionary biology and molecular biology. She works at the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, helping to protect animals and plants using their genetic information. She is also a researcher for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. In 2024, Dr. Shapiro became the chief scientific officer at Colossal Biosciences, a company working on bringing back extinct animals.
Dr. Shapiro is famous for her work with ancient DNA. This means she studies DNA from very old plants and animals. She has received important awards for her research, including a Royal Society University Research Fellowship in 2006 and a MacArthur Fellowship in 2009.
Early Life and Education
Beth Shapiro was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on January 14, 1976. She grew up in Rome, Georgia. When she was in high school, she even worked as a local news presenter.
After high school, she went to the University of Georgia in 1994. She studied many subjects, like Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, English literature, and geology. Eventually, she chose ecology as her main subject. Ecology is the study of how living things interact with each other and their environment.
In 1999, she earned two degrees in ecology from the University of Georgia. In the same year, she received a special scholarship called the Rhodes Scholarship. This allowed her to study at the University of Oxford in England. There, she earned her Ph.D. (a very advanced degree) by studying ancient DNA. Her research focused on how to understand the history of life using this old genetic material.
Career and Research
After finishing her Ph.D., Dr. Shapiro continued her research at the University of Oxford. From 2004 to 2007, she was a research fellow and directed a center focused on biomolecules. In 2006, she received the Royal Society University Research Fellowship, which is a big honor for scientists.
One of her most famous projects at Oxford involved studying the dodo. The dodo was a bird that lived on an island and became extinct a long time ago. Dr. Shapiro used mitochondrial DNA from dodo remains to learn more about this lost bird.
Dr. Shapiro's research on ecology and ancient DNA has been published in top science magazines. These include Science and Nature. In 2007, Smithsonian magazine recognized her as one of the top young innovators in America.
In 2024, Dr. Shapiro joined Colossal Biosciences as their chief science officer. This company has a goal to bring back extinct animals, like the woolly mammoth. They also work on protecting animals that are still alive.
Dr. Shapiro has also talked about why bringing back dinosaurs, like in the Jurassic Park movies, is not possible with today's science. She explains that dinosaur DNA is too old to be recovered and used for de-extinction.
Awards and Recognition
Dr. Beth Shapiro has received many important awards for her scientific work. These include:
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2023)
- National Geographic Society Emerging Explorer (2010)
- University of Georgia Young Alumnus Award (2010)
- MacArthur Fellowship (2009)
- Royal Society University Research Fellowship (2006)
- Rhodes Scholarship (1999)
