Bold Names Could Making a New Woolly Mammoth Help Human Health?
13 snips
Jan 3, 2025 
Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, is on a mission to resurrect the woolly mammoth through cutting-edge genetic engineering. He discusses how these efforts could restore biodiversity and ecosystems. Lamm shares insights on leveraging this technology for human health, including cancer resistance found in elephants. The conversation also touches on the ethical implications of de-extinction and the complexities of rewilding these ancient species, making a compelling case for the intersection of conservation and biotechnology.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
De-extinction and Biodiversity
- Colossal Biosciences aims to create new animals resembling extinct species like the woolly mammoth using genetic engineering.
- This technology could help address biodiversity loss and benefit ecosystems.
Northern White Rhino Project
- Colossal Biosciences is working on genetic rescue projects, like with the Northern White Rhino.
- They use similar technologies to create genetic diversity in remaining embryos, preventing bottlenecks.
Woolly Mammoth Creation Process
- The process involves obtaining and analyzing fragmented ancient DNA, comparing it to the closest living relative (Asian elephant), and making edits to the Asian elephant genome.
- Cloning is involved at the end of the process, and surrogates or artificial wombs would be used for birth.