Colossal’s Ambitious Journey to Revive the Woolly Mammoth
In a groundbreaking stride towards de-extincting the woolly mammoth by 2028, Colossal Biosciences has unveiled their latest innovation: the “Colossal woolly mouse.” This remarkable creation marks a significant milestone in their ongoing mission to bring back extinct species, leveraging advanced gene editing technologies to recreate traits lost to time.
The Science Behind the Woolly Mouse
The journey to engineer the woolly mouse began with identifying gene families linked to the woolly mammoth’s distinctive woolliness. Colossal’s team employed multiplexed genome engineering to target seven genes, resulting in mice that exhibit core mammoth phenotypes. These traits include a mammoth-like coat color, texture, and thickness, as well as altered lipid metabolism, making the mice exceptionally fluffy.
From Mammoths to Mice: A Genetic Bridge
One of the major hurdles in the path to woolly mammoth de-extinction is understanding which genes in the Asian elephant, the mammoth’s closest living relative, need alteration to confer cold tolerance. This involves searching for genome sequences associated with physical and behavioral traits, which are then tested in cell cultures. Interestingly, the same genes and gene families responsible for wooliness in elephants and mammoths are also found in mice.
Dr. Beth Shapiro, an evolutionary biologist and chief science officer at Colossal, explained to IFLScience, “An Asian elephant has a 22-month gestation, and they’re an endangered species that we don’t want to be doing experiments like this on. A mouse has a 20-day gestation. It’s also a mammal. They’re quite distantly related to each other, about 200 million years of evolution [apart], but the same genes and gene families that are associated with traits like wooliness in an elephant and a mammoth occur in mice.”
Engineering the Woolly Mouse
Colossal’s approach was far from simplistic. “We didn’t just shove mammoth genes into a mouse, that wouldn’t make any sense,” Shapiro emphasized. Instead, they identified DNA sequences unique to mammoths but different from Asian elephants, pinpointing specific gene variants and families linked to the woolly mammoth’s physical phenotype.
The team utilized three editing technologies: RNP-mediated knockout, multiplex precision genome editing, and precision homology directed repair (HDR). These allowed them to make eight edits simultaneously, with some edits achieving 100 percent efficiency, modifying seven genes to produce the desired phenotypes.
The Result: A Fluffy Marvel
The Colossal woolly mouse showcases hair up to three times longer than that of wild type mice, achieved by editing the Fibroblast growth factor 5 (FGF5) gene. The woolly texture is due to the loss of function in genes like FAM83G, FZD6, or TGM3, which also affect hair follicle development and structure, resulting in curly whiskers.
Ben Lamm, CEO and co-founder of Colossal, humorously noted to IFLScience, “There were no unintended consequences except adorability. We didn’t think that they would be as cute as they are.”
The Broader Implications of De-Extinction
The woolly mouse is not just a cute novelty but a testament to Colossal’s broader vision of functional de-extinction. Dr. Shapiro stated, “It’s never going to be possible to bring something back that’s 100 percent identical in its genetics, physiology, and behavior to a species that’s extinct, but that’s not our goal. Our goal is to create species that are able to thrive in the habitats that exist today, and that means bringing back some of these traits that help to restore missing interactions between organisms in an ecosystem.”
Why Bring Back the Woolly Mammoth?
The ultimate aim of de-extincting the woolly mammoth is to positively impact ecosystems. Geneticist and co-founder of Colossal Biosciences, George Church, told IFLScience, “We hope we can affect an ecosystem in a positive way, that maybe 10,000 years ago was degraded by humans contributing to the demise of almost all major herbivores in the Arctic, causing a transition from grass to trees.”
Church added that reintroducing megaherbivores could help transition ecosystems back to more robust and fruitful states, potentially mitigating climate change by enhancing carbon sequestration.
The Future of De-Extinction
Colossal’s woolly mouse is a stepping stone in their ambitious timeline to revive the woolly mammoth by 2028. Their de-extinction toolkit is also advancing species preservation and human healthcare. Future targets include the dodo and the thylacine, with recent successes in mid-gestation marsupial embryo development in an artificial uterus, a crucial step for rewilding efforts.
Acknowledging the Source
This groundbreaking research and the insights shared by Colossal Biosciences were sourced from www.iflscience.com, a leading platform for scientific news and discoveries.
Conclusion and Looking Ahead
The creation of the Colossal woolly mouse is a testament to the potential of gene editing in de-extinction efforts. As we move closer to reviving the woolly mammoth, the implications for biodiversity and ecosystem restoration are profound. We encourage readers to stay updated on this fascinating journey and join the discussion on how science can reshape our world.
For more on the fascinating world of genetics and de-extinction, explore related topics such as the discovery of original proteins in dinosaur fossils at [/definitive-evidence-dinosaur-fossil-original-proteins] and the stunning findings of collagen in dinosaur bones at [/scientists-discover-collagen-dinosaur-bone].
