De-Extinction of the Woolly Mammoth

De-extinction of the woolly mammoth by Colossal Biosciences uses CRISPR to insert 15 mammoth genes into Asian elephant DNA, aiming for a cold-adapted hybrid that could rewild Arctic tundra. This project is 30% more ambitious than #3 in scope, targeting an animal with no modern ecological counterpart. Colossal has raised $75 million in venture funding, but critics question the ethics of creating a hybrid species with an undefined natural habitat. A 2024 feasibility study estimated that releasing such hybrids could alter permafrost carbon storage by 2 gigatons—a potential benefit that remains unproven.