A scientific project financed with billions of dollars aims to revive an emblematic prehistoric animal. And the researchers are very serious…
Extinction is often seen as definitive: a species that disappears is a page turned forever. But today, with scientific advances, this reality could experience a radical turnaround. Researchers are seriously considering bringing extinct species, such as the passenger pigeon, the Tasmanian tiger and even the woolly mammoth, back to life.
This movement, known as “de-extinction,” uses advanced biotechnology techniques to try to bring certain species back to life. De-extinction projects raise various controversies, including concerns about bringing back dangerous species, reminiscent of a certain “Jurassic Park” scenario. However, the envisioned process is not to revive dinosaurs, but rather species whose DNA is better preserved and whose close relatives are still with us.
The woolly mammoth, a species of prehistoric pachyderm which became extinct around 10,000 years ago, is at the heart of these ambitious projects. A few years ago, scientists recovered DNA from perfectly preserved frozen carcasses in Siberia. Today, the scientific enterprise “Colossal” (because extinction is a “colossal problem” for the world) is already proposing to use it to bring back the mammoths from 2027!
Colossal’s flagship project, financed with billions of dollars, actually aims to recreate a cold-resistant elephant, endowed with the main biological traits of the woolly mammoth. The animal will have the appearance, behavior and ecological functions of the mammoth. “To end extinction in order to improve humanity’s genetic future and the health of the planet, we must first think beyond what people think is impossible,” write the bearers of this project.
Colossal, which listed 10 good reasons to bring back the prehistoric animal, hopes to achieve several environmental objectives. According to them, the return of the mammoth would bring new life to lost ecosystems and create a more resilient nature in the face of human activities. This genetic advance would make it possible to improve the resistance of organisms against climate change or to find alternatives to the extinction of certain species, such as elephants.
Their technique relies on gene editing (CRISPR) to insert mammoth genes into the DNA of their closest living relatives, as well as captive breeding methods. In summary, scientists wish to transfer a “hybrid” woolly mammoth embryo into an African or Asian elephant, two endangered species, to achieve their goals.
To become surrogate parents, African elephants have the advantage of size, while those of Asia are the closest living cousins of the woolly mammoth and therefore those who have the most genes in common (they even existed in same time on the same continent).
Colossal plans to not only save these elephants from extinction, but also to link genetic science and climate change. His project is thought of as the “fusion between genetics and the spirit of discovery” and already aims to slow the melting of Arctic permafrost, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and restore the mammoth steppe, an ancient ecosystem.