Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 1 day ago
Colossal uses gene editing in efforts to recreate extinct animals
Colossal Biosciences is trying to recreate extinct animals, including dire wolves and woolly mammoths.
For its dire wolf project, the company used DNA from ancient fossils to guide edits to gray wolf cells, then created embryos carried by domestic dog surrogates.
Three pups were born, but critics say they are genetically modified gray wolves rather than truly revived dire wolves.
The company is using a similar approach for woolly mammoths, by genetically modifying Asian elephants.
Its CEO says the gene-editing tools could also be used in human health care, though no specific medical use is described here.
Colossal is also working on projects involving the dodo, Tasmanian tiger and moa, and its CEO says more extinct species could be brought back in the next year or two.
The company aims for a woolly mammoth birth in the 2030s.
Colossal Biosciences CEO Ben Lamm says the company’s de-extinction research could also support human healthcare.
The company has used ancient DNA and genetic engineering to produce three dire wolf pups, though skeptics say they are genetically modified gray wolves rather than de-extinct dire wolves.
Colossal is also working on projects involving the woolly mammoth, dodo, Tasmanian tiger and moa.
Lamm said people may see more extinct species returned to Earth in the next year or two.
The company’s woolly mammoth project involves genetically modifying an Asian elephant, and Lamm has said it aims for a birth in the 2030s.
- Who
- Colossal Biosciences, led by CEO and co-founder Ben Lamm. Skeptics dispute whether its dire wolf work counts as de-extinction.
- What
- The company is pursuing de-extinction projects and says the technologies could also be used for human healthcare.
- When
- Lamm discussed the work at the CNBC AI Forum last week, according to CNBC’s October 10, 2026, report.
- Where
- Colossal’s dire wolf pups were born in north Texas.
- Why
- Lamm says the technologies used to revive extinct species could also support human healthcare and other applications.
Colossal Biosciences and Ben Lamm
Skeptics of the dire wolf project
Classification
Colossal Biosciences and Ben Lamm
Lamm says gray wolves are genetically modified dire wolves and calls the dispute a semantic argument.
Skeptics of the dire wolf project
Skeptics say Colossal created genetically modified gray wolves, not dire wolves.
I don't think Jurassic Park had any conservation or general human benefit models to it, so we've tried to take a slightly different perspective.
It's highly likely in the next coming year or two, people will continue to see us deliver extinct species back to Earth, and we could even have more dire wolves, too.
Gray wolves are just genetically modified dire wolves. They were just done by nature or God or however you want to classify it.
Because if it looks like a duck, it quacks like a duck, it serves ecological functions of a duck, it's a duck, in our perspective.
Lamm met Harvard geneticist George Church and became interested in the work.
Three dire wolf pups were born to domestic dog surrogate mothers in north Texas.
Lamm told Time that Colossal aims to have a woolly mammoth birth in the 2030s.
Lamm discussed Colossal’s projects at the CNBC AI Forum.
- Dire wolf pups
- Three: Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi
- Dire wolf birth
- October 1, 2024, in north Texas
- Dire wolf source material
- Ancient genetic material from a skull and a tooth
- Mammoth target
- Colossal aims for a birth in the 2030s
- Other projects
- Dodo, Tasmanian tiger and moa
- Company
- Colossal Biosciences
Sources
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