🐁 Scientists have created woolly mice on the path to mammoth's return

• Scientists at the biotech company Colossal Biosciences have created genetically modified mice with thick, woolly fur as a step toward recreating woolly mammoths.
• The company plans to "de-extinct" the mammoth by genetically modifying Asian elephants with mammoth-like traits, with the goal of birthing the first calf before the end of 2028.
• The research team successfully modified nine genes in mice that are linked to fur color, texture, length or pattern, resulting in mice with various combinations of distinctive hair types.

Scientists validate their method through genetically modified mice

Scientists at the American biotech company Colossal Biosciences have taken a step forward in their work to recreate the woolly mammoth. The team has recently created healthy, genetically modified mice with traits geared toward cold tolerance, including woolly fur.

"It does not accelerate anything but it's a massive validating point," says Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal.

The team is working on comparing ancient mammoth genomes with those of Asian elephants to understand the differences and has already begun genome-editing cells of the latter. The goal is to "de-extinct" the prehistoric pachyderms by genetically modifying Asian elephants to give them mammoth-like traits, with the hope that the first calf will be born before the end of 2028.

Extensive genetic modifications yield results

In the research, which has not yet undergone peer review, the team used several genome editing techniques to either genetically modify fertilized mouse eggs or modify embryonic mouse stem cells and inject them into mouse embryos, before implanting them into surrogate mothers.

The research team focused on disrupting nine genes associated with hair color, texture, length or pattern or hair follicles. Most of these genes were selected because they were already known to influence the coats of mice, with the induced disruptions expected to produce physical traits similar to those seen in mammoths, such as golden hair.

Two of the genes targeted in the mice were also found in mammoths, where they are thought to have contributed to a woolly coat. The changes introduced by the researchers were designed to make the mouse genes more mammoth-like.

The team also disrupted a gene associated with how fats are metabolized in mice and was also found in mammoths, which they suggest could play a role in cold adaptation.

The researchers edited different combinations of these genes, with one technique allowing them to make as many as eight edits in seven different genes at the same time.

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