Mukta Pillai | Science Editor
We’ve all heard of the cult-favorite “Jurassic Park.” Michael Crichton’s hit novel became a media franchise and the stories have raised generations of fans. While watching the numerous movies or reading the books, suspense entices the audience, pulling them into a world of velociraptors and pterodactyls. Will the characters survive the terrifying, bigger-than-life situation? Or will they fall to the ferocious creatures they face? The world of “Jurassic Park” may have seemed like an impossible future, but it looks like some companies are taking a step towards making that future come true.
Colossal Biosciences is a biotechnology company founded in 2021, focused on “de-extinction.” They claim to be “the first and only de-extinction company,” using genetic engineering to bring back extinct species, such as the woolly mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, dodo bird and more. Britannica defines de-extinction as “the process of resurrecting species that have died out, or gone extinct.” The company refutes this typical definition of de-extinction, stating “functional de-extinction” as “The process of generating an organism that both resembles and is genetically similar to an extinct species by resurrecting its lost lineage of core genes; engineering natural resistances; and enhancing adaptability that will allow it to thrive in today’s environment of climate change, dwindling resources, disease and human interference.” They state that their mission is in “merging the biodiversity of the past with the innovations of the present in an effort to create a more sustainable future.”
The company is concerned with the overall degradation of Earth, including the increased deaths of multiple species. Quoting the World Animal Foundation, scientists predict that half of the world’s species may go extinct by the year 2050. “The progress and overreaching of human civilization and industry have left a dramatically enormous footprint on the biomes of Earth,” the company states. “Land consumed for resources and the waste of production decimate landscapes and ecosystems — sometimes within just a few short months. When these treasured, pristine environments are irreversibly harmed, so are the living and breeding grounds of the species — plant and animal — which live there.”
Recently, Colossal Biosciences has made the headlines for the birth of three dire wolf cubs, a species that has been extinct for 10,000 years. These cubs are grey-wolf hybrids, displaying traits of the extinct dire wolf. The cubs were born to a couple of hounds using genetic engineering techniques from cloning practices. Previously, the Dallas-based company made headlines for creating a woolly mouse, a part of their broader woolly mammoth project. Colossal hopes to have a woolly mammoth or “cold-resistant elephant” in the next decade, and to “be able to inhabit the same ecosystem previously abandoned by the Mammoth’s extinction.” The company’s ventures are heavily publicized, gaining over $200 million in investment.
Many wonder about the greater implications of these projects and how some previously extinct animals may interact with existing species and ecosystems. Colossal believes these species can be used to mitigate climate change and the gradual decrease of biodiversity. “The modern utility of de-extinction is to rebuild extinct species for today that will secure the health and biodiversity of our planet’s future. It is complex, expansive, evolving and entirely new,” the company claims on their site. “The loss of species at its natural, evolutionary speed is difficult to define as detrimental.”
Colossal Biosciences’ ventures bring up concerns about animal testing and lab ethics. Cloning techniques have long been criticized since the cloning of Dolly the sheep. Cloning has been praised for its possible use in preservation (Drug Discovery 2023), but it can involve inhumane applications. Testing can often decrease an animal’s quality of life with many passing away shortly after due to the after-effects of testing, something that is not always disclosed to the public.
With Colossal’s new ventures, spectators are left to wonder what the state of living is for these wolf cubs and woolly mice. Will these experiments truly help the state of our environment, or will they do more irreparable harm?