“De-extinction startup Colossal Biosciences has gene-edited mice to have mammoth-like features, creating what the company calls the Colossal Woolly Mouse.” (They eventually want to do the same w/ Asian elephants.)
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“De-extinction startup Colossal Biosciences” is about the clearest articulation of hubris I’ve ever heard.
Even if you believe in a deity, one must admit humans are not gods. We cannot bring the dead back to life. There is no reversing extinction. There is only using the genetic material of extinct species to create new species by manipulating zygotes of a living species.
Yes, we can make a Woolly Mouse. We could make a Woolly Asian Elephant. We could call that species a Woolly Mammoth but now we are just playing with words. Just as our conscious selves are an emergent fact arising out of a long biological chain that itself is emergent from genetic material, a species is not just a collection of individual animals who have some genetic material in common. (Slime Molds will blow your mind!)
I've seen Jurassic Park several times. I don't think this is going where they think it is going!
I'm waiting for Elon to IPO his new company Skynet. "This corporation ensures the security of all Americans and the rest of the world."
On the horizon- Designer pets for rich people! Here we go!
You could sell Teacup Woolly Chihuahuas™ for $75K all day long.
Introducing the Woollydoodle. "It's woolly! And hypoallergenic!"
Yeah, I'm thinking masta-doodles. Meanwhile, NSF funding for things like long-term ecological research is going away.
This is existentially terrifying as the others commented but the mice themselves are ridiculously cute
That's what The Company scientists said when they first discovered the face-huggers in the "Alien" movie franchise.
So cute! I may have squeed.
I feel like Allbirds might be interested in this development. Next Christmas, Woolly Runners...
Fun fact: I worked with Ben Lamm, Colossal Founder/CEO back on some elearning projects back when he was a wee lad at Baylor University. Brilliant dude. Maximum ambition.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/06/woolly-mammoth-us-scientists-unethical-government
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