Colossal Biosciences’ ‘Woolly Mouse’: The Future of De-Extinction?

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Posted by NewAdmin on 2025-03-12 09:16:14 |

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On March 4, 2025, Colossal Biosciences, a Texas-based genetic engineering company, announced a groundbreaking achievement in de-extinction research: the development of a "woolly mouse." This genetically engineered mouse expresses eight mammoth-like traits related to cold adaptation, representing a major step toward the company’s ambitious goal of bringing back the woolly mammoth.

Colossal Biosciences has been working on de-extinction for years, using CRISPR gene-editing technology to modify elephant DNA with traits from preserved woolly mammoth specimens. The woolly mouse serves as a proof of concept, demonstrating that these genetic modifications can be successfully introduced and expressed in living organisms. Scientists at Colossal believe that perfecting these techniques in smaller mammals will pave the way for their eventual application in Asian elephants, the closest living relatives of mammoths.

This initiative has sparked ethical debates regarding the implications of de-extinction, with critics questioning the ecological impact and feasibility of reintroducing species that have been extinct for thousands of years. Proponents argue that reviving extinct species like the woolly mammoth could help combat climate change by restoring ancient ecosystems, particularly the Siberian tundra, where mammoths once played a role in maintaining grasslands.

Colossal Biosciences plans to continue refining its genetic modifications and hopes to produce a viable hybrid mammoth-elephant within the next decade. If successful, this would mark one of the most significant breakthroughs in synthetic biology and conservation science.

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