Small, hairy and strangely fascinating. The “woolly mice” created in the laboratories of Colossal Biosciences They seem to have come out of a science fiction movie, but they represent much more than a curious genetic experiment. They are tangible proof that the de-extinction (that controversial field that aims to revive extinct species) is taking concrete steps.
When I first saw images of these rodents with thick, wavy fur, I felt a mixture of wonder and uneasiness. We are not just talking about cute mice with a particular coat; we are witnessing a demonstration of principle that could lead, in a few years, to the “resurrection” of a giant that trampled the tundra thousands of years ago. The woolly mammoth could walk the Earth again, and it all starts with these little furry beings.
The road to the past passes through the laboratory
This is not pure science fiction, but a structured research program that uses cutting-edge technology. These mice represent an important test bed before attempting more complex genetic modifications on elephants, the closest living relatives of mammoths. The team of Colossal, led by the scientific director Beth Shapiro, identified 10 genes of interest that could confer “mammoth” characteristics and modified them using technology CRISPR and other gene editing techniques.
I am particularly struck by the pragmatic approach: the scientists are not trying to recreate a mammoth exactly, but are aiming for what they call “functional de-extinction”. The goal is develop an Arctic-adapted elephant that can survive in a mammoth-like habitat and perform similar ecological functions. An example of ecological engineering that aims not at historical perfection but at environmental utility.
The reasons for this approach are mainly practical. The DNA recovered from frozen mammoths is ancient and fragmentary; furthermore, There is a 200 million year evolutionary divergence between mammoths and elephants compared to mice, making a simple genetic “copy and paste” impossible. This pragmatic approach seems more sensible to me than a utopian search for genetic purity.
Little mice, big questions
From these experiments were born 34 puppies with various combinations of genetic modifications. All apparently healthy, but the work has just begun. In the coming months, researchers will subject these rodents to various tests (different diets, exposure to varying temperatures) to verify whether in addition to the woolly appearance they have also acquired metabolic and physiological adaptations useful in cold environments.
“This is an important proof of concept for reintroducing extinct genetic variants into living animal groups,” he says. Linus Girdland Flink of the University of Aberdeen, not involved in the project.
The real question, however, is not whether we can do it, but if we should. De-extinction raises profound ethical questions that go far beyond the technical. Can we really predict how these “resurrected” animals will interact with ecosystems that have evolved in their absence for thousands of years? And how will we humans respond to their presence?
From Mice to Mammoth: Optimistic Timeline or Hubris?
Colossal He said he plans to create a woolly mammoth. by 2027-2028. Considering that the gestation period of an elephant is 22 months, this would mean implanting an engineered embryo into a surrogate mother. by next year. A timeline that many experts consider unrealistically optimistic.
It makes me smile that the expected date has already slipped by a year, and that the company had initially hoped to resurrect the thylacine by 2025 as well. As he sarcastically notes Kevin Daly, paleogeneticist from Trinity College Dublin, the birth of a woolly mammoth It's probably closer to a decade away than three years.
But beyond the timeline, what leaves me perplexed is the certainty with which the possible ecological benefits are spoken of. As Daly points out:
“It would be presumptuous to think that we have a complete understanding of what the introduction of a species like the mammoth might do to an environment.”
Beyond the Mammoth: De-Extinction, Conservation and Innovation
The work of Colossal It’s not limited to mammoths. The company is also working on de-extinction of the dodo and thylacine, but what I find most promising are the side projects focused on conserving existing species at risk.
Let's take the pink pigeon of Mauritius, a genetic relative of the dodo, whose population has been reduced twice to about 10 individuals in the last century. Or the particularly touching case of the Hawaiian Honeycreepers, threatened by the introduction of avian malaria. Shapiro and colleagues hope to use the same technologies to reintroduce genetic diversity or disease resistance to these vulnerable populations.
These “advanced conservation” projects seem to me to be potentially more useful in the immediate future than resurrecting species that have been extinct for millennia. They represent a use of technology that works with evolution rather than trying to reverse it.
De-extinction: The past as a resource, not a fetish
In a certain sense, as he says Girdland Flink, “the past is a resource that can be exploited.” But there is a fine line between using understanding the past to help the present and trying to recreate the past itself.
When I look at these woolly mice, I can't help but wonder whether we are witnessing a triumph of scientific ingenuity or an example of what Michael crichton he would describe how scientists were “so concerned with seeing if they could do it that they didn’t stop to think about whether they should do it.”
De-extinction is walking a fine line between innovation and hubris. And here we are, watching little woolly mice, trying to imagine what the future holds when animals from the past begin to walk the Earth.
