Is the return of the Mammoth is a little more likely?
Colossal Biosciences, the world’s first de-extinction company, has received a $200m (£165m) cash injection from TWG Global. The money could help it achieve the goal of bringing back the Woolly Mammoth, Dodo and Tasmanian Tiger.
Colossal’s CEO Ben Lamm spoke to us about the project last year. He explained it wasn’t about a vanity Jurassic Park style trip, more about protecting vulnerable species.
On this new money he said: “This funding will grow our team, support new technology development, expand our de-extinction species list, while continuing to allow us to carry forth our mission to make extinction a thing of the past.”
By 2050, it is projected that around 50% of the world’s animal species may be extinct. At present 27,000 species per year go extinct, compared to the natural rate of 10 to 100 species per year.
Over the past 50 years (1970–2020), the average size of monitored wildlife populations has shrunk by 73%.
Since launching in September 2021, Colossal has been working on genetic engineering technologies, while pioneering new revolutionary software, to help with species de-extinction, including species preservation and human healthcare.
Their plan is to bring back certain key species including the Mammoth, to preserve natural ecosystems, which are being destroyed by human actions.
They say the extinction crisis will have cascading, negative impacts on human health and wellbeing including reductions in drinkable water, increases in land desertification and increases in food insecurity.
Colossal employs more than 170 scientists and partners with labs in Boston, Dallas, and Melbourne, Australia. Its scientific advisory board has grown to include 95 of the top scientists working in genomics, ancient DNA, ecology, conservation, developmental biology, and paleontology.
