Leading Indicator Colossal Biosciences CEO on Bringing Prehistoric Animals Back to Life
May 14, 2025
Ben Lamm, CEO of Colossal Biosciences, is on a mission to revive prehistoric animals, including the ancient Dire Wolf. He discusses the innovative cloning techniques used for de-extinction and the challenges of genome mapping. Lamm highlights the importance of conservation and partnerships with government agencies to create secure ecological preserves. He also dives into the scientific advancements aimed at bringing back the woolly mammoth while exploring public fascination and the need for education on these incredible endeavors.
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Dual Mission: De-Extinction and Conservation
- Colossal Biosciences focuses on both de-extinction and species preservation to restore ecological balance.
- Developing new tools for conservation is urgent as up to 50% of biodiversity may be lost by 2050 if nothing is done.
Dire Wolf Revival Breakthrough
- Colossal used ancient DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and 72,000-year-old skull to assemble the dire wolf genome.
- After engineering lost genes into gray wolf cells, they successfully cloned dire wolf puppies, a historic first in de-extinction and cloning from blood cells.
Efficiency of De-Extinction Pipeline
- The end-to-end process of de-extinction works, demonstrated by creating dire wolf puppies in just 18 months.
- Despite poor DNA quality and 60,000 years divergence between samples, they achieved accurate genome editing and phenotypes.