How close are scientists to bringing back the woolly mammoth?

The answer

Colossal Biosciences, founded in 2021 by geneticist George Church and entrepreneur Ben Lamm, has raised over $225 million to de-extinct the woolly mammoth. Their approach uses CRISPR to edit cold-adapted mammoth genes - including those for dense hair, small ears, and extra fat - into Asian elephant cells, the mammoth's closest living relative sharing 99.6% DNA. In 2024, Colossal announced creation of elephant induced pluripotent stem cells, a critical milestone. They plan to use artificial wombs rather than elephant surrogates. The project targets producing a cold-adapted elephant-mammoth hybrid by the late 2020s, aiming to restore Arctic grassland ecosystems that mammoths once maintained.