This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.

In this programme, are woolly mice the first step to bringing back the extinct woolly mammoth?

Hello, I'm Beth.

And I'm Neil.

In this programme, we look at one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.

You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode, as well as a worksheet, on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

So let's hear more about this story.

Scientists have created a genetically modified mouse that's woolly.

The researchers plan to use their woolly mouse to test out other genetic changes before they try and create genetically altered mammoth-like elephants in future.

Now woolly mammoths were those elephant-like creatures covered in hair that lived in cold areas in the Northern Hemisphere and became extinct around 10,000 years ago.

Researchers say these mice have long orange fur and a high tolerance for cold temperatures, just like woolly mammoths did.

The changes have been produced by altering seven mice genes that are known to be involved with hair growth.

So let's have our first headline.

This is from The Conversation.

Woolly mice are a first step to resurrecting mammoths but there's a very long way to go.

That headline again from The Conversation.

Woolly mice are a first step to resurrecting mammoths but there's a very long way to go.

So this headline says woolly mice are the first step to resurrecting mammoths and we're looking at the word resurrect.

Neil, what can you tell us?

So resurrect is a verb that means bring back to life.

So in spooky stories you might hear about resurrecting the dead – that's bringing a person or thing back to life after it's died.

Now mammoths are extinct animals so scientists can't literally bring woolly mammoths back to life, can they?

No, but scientists hope to create an animal that is as close to the real woolly mammoth as possible.

They want to resurrect it.

Can you give us another example of resurrect?

Yes, OK, so there's a restaurant in my town.

It used to be really popular but these days it's quite empty and a bit sad looking really.

But the owners want to resurrect it by creating a new menu and decorating the place.

Ah, so they want to give their restaurant life again.

Exactly, they want to resurrect it.

We've had resurrect – give something life again.

For example, the actor has been trying to resurrect his career since his last film received terrible reviews.

This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.

Today we're talking about a scientific experiment that aims to use genetic engineering to create an animal like the woolly mammoth.

Now, there's been a lot of excitement around this experiment but there's also been a lot of criticism.

Yes, critics say the study is unethical – considered wrong by some people.

And they also say it's a publicity stunt only being done for public attention.

The company carrying out the experiment,

Colossal, disagree.

They say modern conservation isn't working and technology is needed to reverse all the environmental and wildlife damage caused by humans.

And that is what our next headline is about.

Yes, so the headline from TechCrunch,

Colossal CEO Ben Lam says humanity has a moral obligation to pursue de-extinction tech.

And that headline again from TechCrunch,

Colossal CEO Ben Lam says humanity has a moral obligation to pursue de-extinction tech.

OK, so the CEO of the company carrying out this experiment has said humanity has a moral obligation to use technology to reverse extinction.

And moral obligation is what we're looking at, Beth.

You might know these words separately.

Morals are the standards of good and bad or right and wrong that a person believes.

And an obligation is something that has to be done.

So together, a moral obligation is a feeling that you have to do something because of what you think is right or wrong, according to your beliefs.

So in this story, the CEO of the company believes that humans must use technology to fix the damage that they have caused to the environment and animals, particularly the extinction of animals like the woolly mammoth, which was partly caused by human activity.

So how else can we use moral obligation?

Can I say my children have a moral obligation to tidy their bedrooms?

No, it's used for bigger and more serious issues than that.

So for example, you might speak up about climate change because you think everyone has a moral obligation to protect the planet.

Everyone should take responsibility.

Yes, or you could see a child who looks lost.

You might check that they're OK because you feel it's the right thing to do.

It's a moral obligation to help them.

We've had moral obligation, a feeling that you have to do something because it is considered to be right.

For example, I volunteer at a soup kitchen for homeless people.

For me, it feels like a moral obligation.

This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.

Today we're discussing an experiment to make mice woolly, like the woolly mammoth.

The company Colossal argues that by returning animals that are similar to extinct species like the woolly mammoth to modern habitats, these areas will be better able to cope with climate change.

However, critics say that returning extinct species will not do this, partly because the areas have warmed a lot since the animals first became extinct.

It's also very challenging to create mammoth-like elephants.

Elephants are not experimented on often and have a much higher number of genes than mice.

And that leads us into our next headline, which is from an opinion blog on the news website defector.com.

And the headline is

Do not be bamboozled by the new fluffy mouse.

And that headline again on the news site defector.com – Do not be bamboozled by the new fluffy mouse.

So this headline tells the reader not to be bamboozled by the new fluffy mouse.

Bamboozled is a great word to say, isn't it,

Beth? What does it mean?

Well, bamboozled means fooled or tricked.

So the headline could also read,

Do not be fooled or tricked by the new fluffy mouse.

So in the opinion of the headline writer, just because the woolly mouse is cute doesn't mean it will help reverse climate change as the company says it will.

Yes. The headline writer is telling the public not to be tricked into believing that these mice will help save the planet.

Bamboozled can be used in a number of situations. You might feel bamboozled by all the jargon written in a legal contract.

Or you might be bamboozled into giving your money away as part of a scam or a trick.

And there are similar words to bamboozled, so we've already mentioned tricked and fooled, but we also have the words hoodwinked, duped and deceived, which are very similar.

We've had bamboozled, tricked.

For example, I got bamboozled by the car salesman and bought a more expensive model than I needed.

That's it for this episode of Learning

English from the News. We'll be back next week with another news story.

If you've enjoyed this programme, try the worksheet on our website to test what you've learnt. Visit bbclearningenglish.com.

And search BBC Learning English to find us on social media. Bye for now.

Goodbye.