Genetically modified mice have traits geared towards cold tolerance, in step towards modifying elephantsA plan to revive the mammoth is on track, scientists have said after creating a new species: the woolly mouse.Scientists at the US biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences plan to “de-extinct” the prehistoric pachyderms by genetically modifying Asian elephants to give them woolly mammoth traits. They hope the first calf will be born by the end of 2028. Continue reading...
Scientists at Colossal Biosciences genetically modified mice, making their genes more like mammoth genes, to exhibit cold-tolerance traits such as woolly hair. While some saw this as progress towards "de-extincting" the woolly mammoth by modifying Asian elephants, others are skeptical, citing the complexity of the project and questioning the allocation of resources. The experiments involved disrupting genes known to affect mouse coats, with some genes also found in mammoths, but the physiological and behavioral effects of these modifications are currently unknown. Critics emphasize that the work primarily altered mouse genes to produce known effects on coats and that the project doesn't bring them significantly closer to creating an elephant with useful mammoth-like characteristics.
