Colossal Biosciences, a biotech company known for its ‘resurrecting’ extinct species such as mammoth, The dodo, or Tasmanian tiger, is only two years old, but is working at full speed to make this dream come true thanks to the latest and most innovative genetic techniques. The latest news from this company is the date it was waiting for. bring the mammoth back to life: 2027 or 2028 at the most. The Colossal hopes these legendary giants will once again set foot on the arctic tundra.
While Colossal Biosciences is working on three species to ‘extinguish’ them (according to the slang they use on their website), their priority is mammoths that disappeared from Earth a few thousand years ago. There are several reasons to focus mainly on this genre.: there are very well-preserved remains (including nearly intact calves frozen in permafrost, which makes it possible to obtain genetic material in good condition), there are also closely related species that can develop viable embryos (such as the African elephant), and, finally, scientists believe that the return of the mammoth is in the arctic believes it can improve ecosystems in the tundra.
The tool the company used to save this species, Well-known gene editing technique called CRISPR. Thanks to the remains of the mammoth found in the Arctic, it was possible to obtain DNA, which was later completed with the genetic material of the elephant, with which it shares 99.6% of its genetic code.
According to the company, once a viable embryo is created, The next step will be to insert it into the womb of an African elephant. for its development. If an African rather than an Asian elephant is chosen, it is because it is closer to mammoths.
ANDThe last mammoth walked on Earth about 4000 years ago and Colossal predicts that within five years it will be possible to see a specimen brought back to life. More specimens would come to be introduced into the arctic tundra, their natural habitat.
But this is noOr is it the only animal the company is working on?. He also wants to save the dodo, the famous large flightless bird native to the island of Mauritius, which became extinct with the advent of man in the 17th century. Also among its priorities is the Tasmanian tiger, a marsupial native to Australia, New Guinea and the island of Tasmania, which became extinct at the turn of the 20th century.
Doubts about the final result
Now, things don’t seem so easy. As a scientific study just warned, it’s nearly impossible to reverse an animal’s extinction. And this, While it is possible to bring extinct animals back to life, they cannot be nearly identical to the original species.. According to these scientists, they can differ significantly.
This may be because the fact that gaps in the genetic code are filled with DNA from a different species can have a significant impact on the resulting animal, no matter how close to what will be recovered. And this Missing pieces in the extinct species’ DNA can affect its essential traits.
Moreover, even if the produced animal is nearly identical to its original parent, its “social” behavior and relationship to the ecosystem will actually be that of the “adopted” species used to supplement its DNA. In fact, it will be a hybrid animal, whose behavior in the environment and therefore its viability is difficult to predict.
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