Colossal Biosciences Uses AI and CRISPR to Resurrect the Woolly Mammoth
Colossal Biosciences is using AI and CRISPR to resurrect the woolly mammoth, delaying its target date to the 2030s after discovering the need to edit over 150 genes.
Thousands of years after disappearing from the face of the Earth, the woolly mammoth may make a surprising comeback. Scientists at the American company Colossal Biosciences are continuing their ambitious attempt to bring the ancient beast back to life, and are now enlisting artificial intelligence to assist in the mission.
The goal is to create an embryo with mammoth characteristics by editing the genes of the elephant, its closest living relative, and incorporating genetic information extracted from the remains of mammoths preserved for millennia in the cold. However, as research progresses, it becomes clear that the task is far more complex than initially thought.
Back in 2024, the company estimated that within four years they would be able to present the first mammoth calves in a lab, but the target has now been postponed to the early 2030s. The main reason for the delay lies in the genetic code; initially, researchers believed that modifications to about 60 genes would be required to give an elephant cell the core characteristics of a mammoth. As research advanced, however, the task proved much more complex, and the company is now discussing the editing of more than 150 genes.
To crack this complexity, researchers are using artificial intelligence alongside CRISPR technology in an attempt to identify which genes are responsible for the traits that characterized the mammoth, from the dense fur to the small ears that helped it cope with the cold.
They have already offered a taste of the direction the research is taking. The company created 38 genetically engineered "woolly mice" that developed long and dense fur through modifications based on the genetic traits of the mammoth.
The mammoth is not the only target. Colossal is simultaneously working on projects to resurrect other extinct species, including the dodo, the Tasmanian tiger, and the moa. If successful, this will mark an unprecedented attempt to bring back animals that vanished from the world hundreds or even thousands of years ago.
