![]() ![]() When I came to the answer that, hypothetically, we could do it, I then thought well – should we do it?" Church pondered for some time over which species would be the most appropriate to test the hypothesis. "Their enquiries made me start to think seriously about it. The journalists asked him whether it would be possible to use synthetic biology approaches to read and then re-build the Mammoth genome. Professor Church joined Technology Networks in an exclusive interview for The Scientific Observer, exploring the backstory of Colossal, his aspirations for the project and why "mammoth-sized" interventions are needed to combat climate change.īefore looking at the how of de-extinction, let's first ask: why? What inspired Church and colleagues to focus on the woolly mammoth? "This project has really been in the making since 2006/2007, when two journalists asked me about the movement to read the Mammoth genome," Church explained. Rather, it is to create a genetic hybrid that combines woolly mammoth genes with the DNA of an Asian elephant. ![]() The company's mission is not to engineer a complete replica of the woolly mammoth in a laboratory. In September, the biotech/genetics company Colossal – co-founded in 2021 by renowned geneticist Professor George Church and serial entrepreneur Ben Lamm – announced it had raised $15 million in funding for a project that aims to "de-extinct the woolly mammoth". The prospect of "reviving" an extinct species – or a, genetic hybrid version of it – is moving closer to reality thanks to the sophistication of genome engineering technologies coupled with our ability to extract and sequence archaic DNA samples. ![]()
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