Scientists are pushing the boundaries of genetic technology in an effort to resurrect traits from extinct species. The latest breakthrough? A group of “woolly mice” engineered with mammoth-like genetic traits, bringing researchers one step closer to the long-discussed goal of reviving the woolly mammoth. This effort, spearheaded by the biotech company Colossal Biosciences, represents a growing field where ancient DNA is not just studied but actively inserted into living organisms.
Advancements in sequencing ancient DNA have already provided remarkable insights into history, from mapping the genes of prehistoric humans to analyzing the genomes of dodo birds and frozen mammoths. But Colossal aims to go further. By modifying elephants with mammoth DNA, the company hopes to create a creature that closely resembles its long-extinct ancestor. However, the process is still in its early stages. The recently engineered woolly mice contain only minor genetic changes to mimic the mammoth’s thick fur—most notably, just a single letter of mammoth DNA was actually inserted into their genome.
The concept of inserting ancient DNA into modern organisms is so new that it lacks a widely recognized name. Some researchers have begun referring to it as “chronogenics”—a term used to describe the process of bringing extinct genes back to life. While the idea may sound futuristic, there have already been a handful of notable attempts at gene de-extinction.
The first major instance dates back to 2004 when scientists successfully reconstructed the 1918 influenza virus using frozen samples from an Alaskan victim of the pandemic. This effort, though scientifically groundbreaking, sparked controversy over the ethical risks of reviving a deadly pathogen. The first true example involving animals came in 2008, when Australian researchers inserted a small genetic fragment from the extinct Tasmanian tiger into a mouse, demonstrating that ancient genes could still function in a modern organism.
Commercial interest in extinct genes began in 2016 when Ginkgo Bioworks, a synthetic biology company, extracted genetic material from extinct flowers to recreate their scent molecules. Although the resulting perfumes do not contain actual extinct DNA, the project demonstrated a unique way to use ancient genes as an inspiration for new products.
In an article from MIT Technology Review, experts discuss the challenges and ethical considerations surrounding gene de-extinction. One major concern is whether these efforts truly bring extinct species back or simply create approximations. Critics argue that Colossal’s mammoth project, for example, will not fully restore the species but instead generate an elephant with mammoth-like traits—a “crude approximation” rather than a true resurrection.
Others, however, see a deeper philosophical and emotional aspect to this work. The ability to retrieve fragments of extinct life, even if incomplete, may inspire a greater connection to nature and a renewed sense of responsibility toward conservation. As Christina Agapakis, formerly of Ginkgo Bioworks, explains, “There is a very powerful and poetic ethical and social component here, a demand that we care for these woolly creatures and for our entanglements with nature more broadly.”
While de-extinction remains largely experimental, new discoveries continue to expand the field. Recent research includes adding a Neanderthal genetic mutation to mice to study its effects and modifying barley plants with a 2-million-year-old gene to help them survive in Arctic conditions. These projects suggest that while we may not be able to fully restore lost species, elements of their genetic makeup could shape future innovations in both conservation and biotechnology.
