How de-extincting dire wolves and woolly mammoths may extend human life
Colossal Biosciences CEO Ben Lamm says bringing extinct species back can contribute to conservation, healthcare and developmental biology.
TL;DR
- Colossal Biosciences is working to bring back extinct animals, including woolly mammoths and dire wolves.
- CEO Ben Lamm compares the work to Jurassic Park but stresses a focus on conservation and human benefit.
- The company genetically engineered dire wolves by reconstructing their genome from ancient DNA and mapping it to gray wolves, resulting in three pups.
- The woolly mammoth project involves genetically modifying Asian elephants with the goal of a birth in the 2030s.
- These de-extinction efforts are expected to yield advancements in genome engineering, developmental biology, and potentially aid in fighting climate change.
- The technologies could have implications for human healthcare, including gene therapies and eradicating genetic diseases.
- A spin-off company, Astromech, is researching convergent evolution for human healthcare solutions.
- Colossal Biosciences has attracted significant investment, with a valuation of $10.2 billion.
- The company aims to inspire the next generation of scientists and drive innovation in synthetic biology for various applications.