Scientists Create ‘Woolly Mice’ with Mammoth-Like Fur in Groundbreaking De-Extinction Effort
In a step toward the possibility of bringing back extinct species, researchers at Colossal Biosciences have created genetically modified mice with a fur that looks like woolly mammoths. The “woolly mice with fuzzy fur and curly whiskers” are a literal step toward the firm’s lofty de-extinction plan to ultimately bring back the woolly mammoth that went extinct about 4,000 years ago.
The Breakthrough: Creating the Woolly Mouse
Colossal Biosciences revealed developing what they have called the “Colossal Woolly Mouse,” a gene-edited rodent with several mammoth-identified characteristics pertaining to cold adaptation and tolerance for temperature. The company did this by editing seven genes in mice embryos at once with some reports indicating as many as eight gene edits.
The gene alterations created mice with physically very differently shaped features than usual lab mice. Genetically modified rodents have unkempt fur and rather curly whiskers clear indications of the mammoth genes that were added to their genomes successfully.
Dr. Beth Shapiro of Colossal Biosciences highlighted the importance of this milestone by saying, “The mouse is validation that our de-extinction pipeline is successful”. This is meant to highlight the importance of the woolly mouse as a validation of the company’s broader de-extinction process.
From Mice to Mammoths: The De-Extinction Roadmap
Woolly mouse is the landmark that Colossal Biosciences regards as a critical component of its long-term goal: genetic editing of a return of the woolly mammoth. By showing whether several mammoth genes can be edited together into a contemporary species, the company has confirmed an essential pillar of its technical approach.
The process used by Colossal is identifying and transferring the cold-climate adaptation genes of mammoths into living elephants and basically creating a hybrid creature that is equivalent to mammoths. The woolly mouse experiment is a small-scale version of the same concept.
The company’s approach to de-extinction involves:
- Identifying relevant genes from extinct species
- Editing those genes into related modern species
- Developing the resulting embryos
- Eventually creating an animal with key traits of the extinct species
The woolly mouse demonstrates that at least the first three steps of this process can work, at least in rodents.
Scientific Skepticism and Ethical Questions
While Colossal is ecstatic about their success, some scientists are skeptical about the size of this achievement in its pursuit of the de-extinction of mammoths.
It has been claimed that the company has accomplished nothing more than creating mice with the fur-like features of mammoths, and it is only a minor part of all the genetic distinctions between modern elephants and woolly mammoths. It is still a gigantic task to insert several traits into elephant embryos.
The venture is also faced with ethical questions, with some of its opponents accusing Colossal of “playing god.” The company, however, justifies its project not only as a search for extinct species’ resurrection but also as a way to create technologies with wider applications in conservation and biotechnology.
The Technology Behind Gene Editing
The development of the woolly mouse depended on sophisticated gene-editing technologies that enabled scientists to introduce multiple genetic changes at once. Colossal has not revealed complete information about their process, but they do so by selecting genes linked with particular traits in mammoths and editing them into contemporary species.
This multi-gene editing process is especially significant in that it showcases the capacity to edit multiple genes simultaneously without rendering the resulting organism nonviable. The woolly mouse possesses a number of mammoth-identified characteristics that are associated with cold adaptation and temperature regulation, indicating that the edited genes are performing as they should.
The Future of De-Extinction
Whereas the woolly mouse is a testament to the progress, full de-extinction of the woolly mammoth—if it is even feasible—is still several years off. Colossal Biosciences is continuing in that vein, with the woolly mouse as validation of their technical process.
Apart from mammoths, the company also made plans to de-extinct other animals such as the Tasmanian tiger and the dodo bird. Technologies aimed at de-extinction are also expected to be useful in preserving endangered species.
According to Dr. Shapiro, the woolly mouse lends validity to the de-extinction pipeline of Colossal potentially paving the way for future advancements in bringing back traits from extinct populations.
Conclusion
The creation of “woolly mice” with coats like the mammoths is a technical accomplishment of note in genetic engineering and a breakthrough in de-extinction technology. While much work remains to be done before anything resembling a woolly mammoth might walk the Earth again, Colossal Biosciences has shown that it is possible to take multiple genes associated with specific physical traits from an extinct creature and introduce them into a living one.
As the science continues to evolve, the technical possibility as well as the ethical implications of de-extinction will be subjects of serious research and discussion. The woolly mouse, its bushy fur and curled whiskers, is a modest but important step down this scientific path.
