The Take

Woolly mammoths went extinct several thousand years ago. But if a new company gets its way, something like the woolly mammoth could walk the Earth again within the decade. The company Colossal Biosciences announced in 2021 that it had raised $15m to genetically modify an Asian elephant so that it has the cold-tolerant traits of a woolly mammoth. Since then, they’ve gotten even more money and attention, from sources as varied as socialite Paris Hilton to the US Central Intelligence Agency. Their plan has been received with a mix of skepticism, excitement and controversy. In this episode:  Ben Lamm (@federallamm), co-founder and CEO of Colossal (@ItIsColossal) Dr. Tori Herridge (@ToriHerridge), evolutionary biologist at the London Natural History Museum (@NHM_London) Dr. Joe Bennett (@Joe_Ecology), professor at Carleton University Episode credits: This episode was updated by Negin Owliaei. The original production team included Negin Owliaei, Tom Fenton, Ruby Zaman, Amy Walters, Alexandra Locke, Priyanka Tilve, Ney Alvarez, Stacey Samuel, and our host, Malika Bilal. Alex Roldan is our sound designer. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.  Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

In Iraq, some scars of the US-led invasion remain hidden, even as the 20th anniversary is marked this week. The US military for years disposed of waste in burn pits: wide swathes of land, constantly smoking. Some were the size of a football field. In them were plastics, electronics, and military and medical waste. The environmental impacts of the invasion – including those burn pits – continue to plague Iraqis to this day. After years of lobbying, the US government approved legislation to address the health impacts on US soldiers, but there has been no discussion of compensation for the Iraqi civilians. In this episode:  Kali Rubaii (@KaliRubaii), assistant professor of anthropology at Purdue University Episode credits: This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei and Amy Walters with Chloe K. Li and our host, Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Adam Abou-Gad and Munera Al Dosari are our engagement producers.  Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

It was the deadliest attack on a house of worship in Canada's history. Six people lost their lives when a gunman opened fire on a mosque in Quebec City in 2017. And the hate incidents haven't stopped in the years since. Some of them have been deadly. And it's led to questions about how Canada treats its Muslim population. In January of 2023, the country announced its first special representative on Islamophobia. So what’s behind the need for the position in the first place?  In this episode: Jillian Kestler-D’Amours (@jkdamours), Al Jazeera online editor Jasmin Zine (@JasminZine), professor in sociology, religion and culture at Wilfrid Laurier University Episode credits: This episode was updated by Negin Owliaei and Ashish Malhotra, and our host, Malika Bilal. The original production team included Negin Owliaei, Tom Fenton, Ruby Zaman, Amy Walters, Alexandra Locke, Priyanka Tilve, Ney Alvarez, Stacey Samuel, and Malika Bilal. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The UK government is clamping down on asylum seekers, potentially illegally. Nearly 46,000 refugees and migrants arrived in the United Kingdom last year on small boats across the English Channel, a major increase from the year before. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says stopping the boats is a priority for the British people. But both the United Nations and the European Union have called the plan illegal for the way it would treat people fleeing war and persecution. Even Sunak’s Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has acknowledged the plan may not be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. So why is the government pushing it forward? In this episode:  Charlie Angela (@CharlieAJ), Al Jazeera correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra with Chloe K. Li and our host, Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The wave of racist violence sweeping Tunisia is unlike anything in recent memory. The attacks follow a speech by Tunisia’s President Kais Saied accusing African migrants of conspiring to make Tunisia more African and less Arab. This is the latest in a string of authoritarian moves by the President, and it has protesters back out in the street. But what will happen to the victims of this racism in the meantime? In this episode:  Alpha Turay, a refugee from Sierra Leone living in Tunisia Fadil Aliriza (@FadilAliriza), founder and editor-in-chief of @meshkaltn Episode credits: This episode was produced by Amy Walters with Chloe K. Li and our host, Malika Bilal. MIranda Lin fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Andy Greiner and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.  Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

China has been Russia’s ‘rock solid’ partner throughout the conflict in Ukraine. It has refused to condemn the fighting and, according to the US, is in negotiations to send weapons to the front lines. And the Chinese president seems to share a close friendship with Vladimir Putin. But at the same time, China is emerging from its zero-COVID lockdowns and trying to reach out again to the rest of the world. How will the world’s second-largest economy balance its competing interests, and what role can it play in bringing peace to Ukraine? In this episode:  Katrina Yu (@katmyu), Al Jazeera’s China Correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced by Miranda Lin, with Ashish Malhotra and Khaled Soltan, and our host, Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.  Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

A wave of poisonings is taking place in classrooms around Iran. The first documented incident took place back in November at one school in the city of Qom. But the attacks have ramped up recently, with reports of thousands of girls being affected at hundreds of schools nationwide. The poison attacks come on the heels of a protest movement that took off last year in the country under the banner of “woman, life, freedom.” Between the protests and the poisonings, what does the future look like for girls in Iran? In this episode:  Dorsa Jabbari (@DorsaJabbari), Al Jazeera correspondent Episode credits: This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei, with Ashish Malhotra, and our host, Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Andy Greiner and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.  Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

New York City is the wealthiest city in the United States – by some counts, the world. But after three years of pandemic, it has yet to build back better: rents are skyrocketing, concern about crime is at an all-time high, and the focus has landed on people living on the streets and the subways. There's been a high-profile effort by the city's mayor, Eric Adams, to clear the streets, including controversial sweeps of encampments and hospitalizations by police, even when people don't want to go. So how can the city protect the most vulnerable New Yorkers? In this episode: Peter Malvan, Homeless Advocate, Urban Justice Center Max Rivlin-Nadler (@MaxRivlinNadler), Co-publisher of @HellGateNY Episode credits: This episode was produced by Alexandra Locke with Chloe K. Li and our host, Halla Mohieddeen, in for Malika Bilal. Ashish Malhotra fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Andy Greiner and Adam Abou Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

2022 saw the highest number of Mexican journalists ever killed in a year. The murders of Lourdes Maldonado Lopez and Margarito Martínez last January sparked an outcry in a string of murders that have largely gone unsolved. We’re revisiting our episode with Mexican journalists about how safe they feel while covering the news there, why there are so many murders of journalists in Mexico, and what's being done to protect them. In this episode:  León Krauze (@LeonKrauze), Univision Anchor Alejandra Guerra (@alisguerra8), Journalist in Tijuana, Mexico Rocío Galván (@RocioGalvanZ), Journalist in Tijuana, Mexico Andalusia Knoll Soloff (@Andalalucha), Journalist in Mexico City Natalie Southwick, Program Coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists (@pressfreedom) Episode credits: This episode was updated by Amy Walters with our host Malika Bilal. The original production team was Ney Alvarez, Priyanka Tilve, Ruby Zaman, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, Alexandra Locke, Tom Fenton, and Stacey Samuel. Special thanks to Lorena Arroyo and Inger Diaz Barriga. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Andy Greiner and Adam Abou-Gad. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s Executive Producer and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

More than 300 Nicaraguans have been stripped of their citizenship. They’re considered political opponents of the president, Daniel Ortega. Some were already out of the country, but 222 were recently deported from Nicaragua to the United States and forced into exile. It’s the latest move by President Ortega to crack down on political dissidents. But will it succeed in silencing them? In this episode:  Felix Maradiaga (@maradiaga), Nicaraguan activist and former presidential candidate Episode credits: This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra with Chloe K. Li and our host, Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin and Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Andy Greiner and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Why have the people of the Chagos Islands not been allowed to go home? The archipelago in the Indian Ocean was home to Chagossians until the 1960s. As decolonisation swept the globe, the United Kingdom created one last African colony. Slowly and then all at once, it forced people to leave their homes, then leased the land to the United States for a military base. Chagossians have been fighting – and sometimes winning – in court to return to their home islands, and now, Human Rights Watch says what the UK and the US did amounts to crimes against humanity. In this episode:  Clive Baldwin (@cliveabaldwin), senior legal advisor, Human Rights Watch Episode credits: This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei and our host, Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Andy Greiner and Adam Abou Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Photographers have been the entire world’s lens into the Russia-Ukraine conflict for the past year. They’ve captured shocking scenes – from refugees and frontline battles, to portraits of bravery and resilience. But the photographers behind these images have also found themselves in the middle of an information war – to establish what’s really happening on the ground, and how this war will be seen in the future.  In this episode:  Serhii Korovayny (@SerhiiKorovayny), Ukrainian photojournalist Natalie Keyssar (@NatalieKeyssar), freelance documentary photographer Episode credits: This episode was produced by Miranda Lin and Chloe K. Li with our host, Malika Bilal. Khaled Soltan, Chloe K. Li and Ashish Malhotra fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Andy Greiner and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Pakistan is still reeling from last year’s deadly floods, which put a third of the country underwater. Though the country has barely contributed to climate change, its people are still paying the price. Six months on from the worst of the devastation, people across the country are still displaced and they’re facing knock-on effects of the floods on their health. The international community pledged $9 billion to aid Pakistan in rebuilding at the beginning of this year, but experts on the ground say it will be of little use if it doesn’t arrive soon. So is the international community doing enough to help?  In this episode:  Zuha Siddiqui (@SiddiquiZuha), journalist Taimur Khan Jhagra (@Jhagra), former health and finance minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ed Taylor, emergency response coordinator, Doctors Without Borders (@MSF) Episode credits: This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra and Amy Walters with our host, Halla Mohieddeen. Chloe K. Li, Amy Walters and Ashish Malhotra fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Andy Greiner and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Nigerian politics might be on the verge of total upheaval. As Africa’s largest democracy heads to the polls on February 25, a third presidential candidate is disrupting what has in recent years been a two-horse race. Peter Obi, of the tiny Labour Party, is leading most polls ahead of more established candidates Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress. But in a country where polling data is a new phenomenon, will he actually win? In this episode:  Mark Amaza (@amasonic), Senior Communications Officer, Yiaga Africa Preston Ideh (@TimeyinPI), Co-founder, Stears Data Episode credits: This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra with Negin Owliaei, Miranda Lin and our host, Malika Bilal. Amy Walters, Alexandra Locke and Negin Owliaei fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Andy Greiner and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

What happens when you can’t go home? The city of Antakya, one of Turkey’s cultural centres, was levelled in the February 6 earthquakes. Thousands of people were killed, and the city is no longer recognisable to many who called it home. The government says rebuilding in the region is about to begin, but many residents are still trying to understand what they’ve lost. In this episode:  Emre Rende (@emrerende), Journalist and photographer Bernard Smith (@JazeeraBernard), Al Jazeera correspondent Belit Tasdemir (@AKUTAssociation), Coordinator for AKUT Search and Rescue Association Episode credits: This episode was produced by Amy Walters and Chloe K. Li with our host, Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Andy Greiner and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Polish leaders were not taken seriously about a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, though they were concerned long before the first air raid sirens rang out in Kyiv in 2022. Ever since, Poland has played a leadership role, pushing the European Union for more aid to Ukraine and hosting both foreign militaries and millions of refugees as a front-line country. But Poland has its own longstanding conflict with the EU, and it has been pushed to the back burner. How has the war in Ukraine changed Poland, and how has Poland changed the EU? In this episode:  Bartosz Węglarczyk (@bweglarczyk) editor-in-chief, Onet Maciej Konieczny (@_mkonieczny), member of Polish Parliament  Episode credits: This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei with Miranda Lin and our host, Malika Bilal. Miranda Lin fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Andy Greiner and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The National Football League is the richest professional sports league in the world, but it has been accused of leaving its Black players behind. For years, the NFL fought claims from its own players that the sport could cause long-term brain damage, including a disease known as CTE. The league has since paid a settlement out to players, but it has also been accused of using race-based tests to deny Black players compensation. As the sport continues to gain larger audiences worldwide through mega-events like the Superbowl, what is the NFL doing to protect and care for its players? In this episode:  Isaac Solotaroff (@Isaac_Solotarof), producer of the Al Jazeera Fault Lines documentary ‘Bloodsport’ Watch the Al Jazeera Fault Lines documentary 'Bloodsport' here. Episode credits: This episode was produced by Miranda Lin and Ney Alvarez with our host, Halla Mohieddeen. Chloe K. Li and Ashish Malhotra fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Emergency aid is pouring into southeastern Turkey after Monday’s earthquakes, but why is it so much harder for aid to reach northern Syria? Both sides of the border have been devastated by the disaster, which struck after years of conflict and displacement. With the death toll rising every day, will Syrians get the international spotlight they need? In this episode:  Ammar, NGO worker living in Gaziantep, Turkey Emad, NGO worker living in Gaziantep Alper Ilki (@AlperIlki), president of the Turkish Earthquake Foundation and professor at Istanbul Technical University Dr. Zaher Sahloul (@Sahloul), president and co-founder of MedGlobal Find ways to donate to the earthquake disaster response here. Episode credits: This episode was produced by Miranda Lin with Amy Walters and our host, Malika Bilal. Chloe K. Li, Ashish Malhotra, Amy Walters and Alexandra Locke fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Andy Greiner and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

There’s been no accountability in the massive explosion at the Port of Beirut for more than two years. But a new hope suddenly emerged late last month for families of the victims, when Judge Tarek Bitar reopened his dormant investigation into the blast, and into the leaders accused of letting it happen. Two days later, Lebanon’s Prosecutor General Ghassan Oweidat – one of those accused – issued his own charges against Bitar. Is this now the nail in the coffin for the blast investigation, or can the victims’ families still get justice? In this episode:  Kareem Chehayeb (@chehayebk), reporter, Associated Press Mariana Fodoulian, sister of Beirut port blast victim Episode credits: This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra with Amy Walters, Chloe K. Li and our host, Malika Bilal. Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke and Negin Owliaei fact-checked this episode. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Andy Greiner and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

What does Prevent prevent? The UK government says the programme is key to counterterrorism and protecting vulnerable people. However, human rights organisations and Muslim groups say it is surveillance and counterproductive. The government has not released an independent review of Prevent – but during the review process, it was boycotted by hundreds of organisations. Instead, many participated in a "people’s review" of Prevent. So what does a tale of two reviews tell us about the future of Prevent? In this episode:  Layla Aitlhadj, (@LaylaAtweet), Director of Prevent Watch John Holmwood, author, “Countering Extremism in British Schools?: The Truth about the Birmingham Trojan Horse Affair”   Episode credits: This episode was updated by Negin Owliaei. The original production team was Alexandra Locke, Negin Owliaei, Ney Alvarez, Ruby Zaman, Amy Walters, and our host, Halla Mohieddeen. Our production team also includes Chloe K. Li, Miranda Lin, and Ashish Malhotra. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou Gad. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.  Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook