Biotech Firm Creates ‘Woolly Mice’ in Major Step Toward Woolly Mammoth Revival

[Social Media]

 

Scientists working to bring woolly mammoths back from extinction have achieved a remarkable breakthrough, successfully engineering a new species known as the woolly mouse. This marks a significant step toward their goal of reviving the prehistoric giant, which vanished from the Earth between 4,000 and 10,000 years ago.  

Woolly mammoths one step closer to de-extinction — thanks to ‘woolly mice’ created by biotech firm https://t.co/WvtD3I5aHc pic.twitter.com/nr0sGRyGD8

— New York Post (@nypost) March 5, 2025

 

The effort is being led by Colossal Biosciences, a biotech firm focused on genetic engineering. Their research identified two genes shared by both mice and woolly mammoths, one of which they believe played a crucial role in producing the thick fur that helped the ancient creatures survive in frigid climates. By targeting and modifying this gene, the team was able to recreate a similar adaptation in mice.  

 

Colossal has been working on altering the DNA of Asian elephants to endow them with woolly mammoth traits, including increased resistance to cold and their signature shaggy coat. The company aims to see the first woolly mammoth calf born by the end of 2028. While the recent breakthrough with mice does not necessarily speed up that timeline, it provides strong validation of their approach. “It does not accelerate anything but it’s a massive validating point,” said Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal.

 

The woolly mice created by the team are nearly identical in size to regular mice but feature a distinctively thick, golden coat, much like that of a mammoth. Scientists also altered the way the rodents metabolize fats, making them better suited to withstand colder temperatures.  

 

To accomplish this genetic modification, the researchers used multiple genome editing techniques. Some methods involved modifying fertilized mouse eggs, while others relied on altering embryonic stem cells, which were then injected into embryos and implanted into surrogate mothers.  

 

Following the success of their initial experiment, Colossal Biosciences now plans to test the mice’s ability to survive in cold environments. If these creatures prove resilient to lower temperatures, it would further confirm that the genetic modifications were successful. This research marks a significant step forward in the ambitious effort to bring the woolly mammoth back to life, a goal that once seemed confined to science fiction but is now inching closer to reality.

 

Based on a report by NYP  2025-03-07

 

 

[Ralf001]

Cool as feck.. I want a pet woolly mouse

[Geoffggi]

1 hour ago, Social Media said:

Scientists working to bring woolly mammoths back from extinction have achieved a remarkable breakthrough

 

All well & good but one does have to ask the question - WHY ???? 

[Dionigi]

Changing a few genes is not the same as the monumental task of changing all the genes required to make a woolly mammoth. A some one quipped why has the mouse not got a trunk

[newbee2022]

Every way starts with a first step.

Long way I suppose 🤗

[FritsSikkink]

Better concentrate on how to cope with terminal diseases instead of this BS.

[mfd101]

Unclear to me whether or not the changes will now be 'genetic' in the sense of 'passed on to the next generation'. 

 

I suspect not, in which case it's just another example of human animals manipulating other helpless creatures for their own benefit or amusement.

[digger70]

Biotech Firm Creates ‘Woolly Mice’ in Major Step Toward Woolly Mammoth Revival.

 

What happens if that creature doesn't turn out the way it suppose to be and be a dangerous Frankenstein  monster , just Kill it or it will kill its creators ?😇

[ballpoint]

This isn't entirely true.  They can't clone a woolly mammoth, no matter how preserved the frozen tissue may be.  Dead DNA has a half life of around 520 years so, given that the last known mammoth died 4,000 years ago, that's seven half life's - less than one percent of the original base pairs will remain (which is also why the Jurassic Park story could never happen.  After 65 million years nothing would remain).  What they are attempting to do is genetically manipulate an Asian elephant to give it the characteristics of a woolly mammoth.  Their website states:

 

"Colossal’s landmark de-extinction project will be the resurrection of the woolly mammoth - or more specifically a cold-resistant elephant with all of the core biological traits of the woolly mammoth. It will walk like a woolly mammoth, look like one, sound like one, but most importantly it will be able to inhabit the same ecosystem previously abandoned by the mammoth’s extinction."

 

It's therefore a bit disingenuous of them to also state that one of their goals is to "demonstrate that it's possible to bring back an extinct megafauna species".  To me, "bring back" would mean to come up with an actual, real living mammoth, not a manipulated elephant that looks and behaves like one.  They also make no claims as to whether the animals they "create" will be able to breed and pass on their new characteristics, and whether they will be able to be reintroduced into the wild.  I suspect not, but would be happy to be proven wrong.

 

https://colossal.com/mammoth/

 

[thaibeachlovers]

Isn't there something more important than creating a freak? Such as a cure for cancer, or bringing about an end to war.