The woolly mammoth and a 30ft sea cow could all soon be back from the dead
Lamm, 43, is the billionaire entrepreneur who founded Colossal Biosciences, a genetic engineering company, in 2021.
What the company hopes to do is certainly colossal – working to resurrect extinct species, a process called de-extinction.
The idea, Lamm told Metro, came during a call about human-based biology with George Church, a biologist at Harvard Medical School.
'By the way, I'm working to bring back mammoths and other extinct species to reintroduce them back into the Arctic and regenerate the ecosystem. But I have to go now. Goodbye,' Lamm recalled of the call.
'I had just heard the greatest thing ever, and then the call was over. I stayed up all night reading articles and listening to interviews about all these things.'
Scientists have long dreamed of reviving extinct species. But earlier this year, Colossal researchers helped bring the dire wolf, a giant, extinct species made famous by Game of Thrones, back from the dead.
Kind of. Scientists salvaged DNA from the fossils of dire wolves and edited 20 of their genes into their closest living relatives, grey wolves. (Think Jurassic Park just without the maniacal computer-network engineer.)
After creating embryos and implanting them in surrogates, three pups were born: Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi.
The pups, with their dense, pale coats, were the first successful case of de-extinction, Colossal said.
SOUND ON. You're hearing the first howl of a dire wolf in over 10,000 years. Meet Romulus and Remus—the world's first de-extinct animals, born on October 1, 2024.The dire wolf has been extinct for over 10,000 years. These two wolves were brought back from extinction using… pic.twitter.com/wY4rdOVFRH — Colossal Biosciences® (@colossal) April 7, 2025
Now, Colossal wants to revive the woolly mammoth by giving elephants dense hair and thick fat, and reintroducing them to the Siberian tundra.
Lamm said that his team are also 'exclusively focused' on two other extinct creatures: the Tasmanian tiger and the 12-foot-tall bird called Moa, though they haven't cracked how to insert edited genes into eggs yet.
'I'd personally love to bring back the Steller's sea cow,' Lamm said, referring to the extinct, 30-foot-long relative of the manatee, 'but there is nothing to gestate it in until we have artificial wombs working.'
Inventing an undo button for extinction sounds like a sci-fi film, but Lamm's reasons for doing it are very much real.
Many of the de-extinction candidates were eradicated by humans: The dodo was, well, as dead as a dodo by 1662 after people colonised Mauritius.
The Tasmanian tiger was similarly wiped out after European settlers relentlessly hunted the striped marsupials in the 1800s, while the sea cow was wiped out by humans within 27 years of its discovery.
Climate change threatens to make even more species vanish, and wildlife populations have already plummeted by 70%.
'Habitats around the planet are changing at a pace that is faster than evolution by natural selection can keep up,' explained Lamm.
'For many species, there is not enough time.'
We're launching the Colossal Species Reintroduction Fund: $250K annually to help return missing and at-risk species to the wild. Rewilding restores ecosystems and helps prevent extinctions. This is one more step toward making extinction a thing of the past. pic.twitter.com/zpoqZZ1xmX — Colossal Biosciences® (@colossal) August 5, 2025
Is de-exctinction, with the power of pipettes and computers, possible? Experts told Metro they aren't so sure.
For one, the dire wolves Colossal brought back can be better described as modified grey wolves, said Benjamin Tapon, a PhD student at Queen Mary's School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences.
'By any practical definition of a species, no animal that Colossal has genetically engineered so far is anywhere near the extinct animal they are trying to emulate,' he said.
'Colossal is doing the equivalent of rebuilding the Library of Alexandria by printing PDFs of a few books and adding them to the shelves of the local public library.'
As much as dire wolves and grey wolves share 99.5% of their DNA code, Tapon said, people and bananas share 60% of genes.
'It's a bit like saying that Romeo and Juliet shares 99% of its words with 50 Shades of Grey, or a book in another language,' he added.
Alex de Mendoza, a senior lecturer at Queen Mary's Centre for Epigenetics, said Game of Thrones and Colossal got a big thing wrong about the dire wolf – they probably weren't white.
The wolves lived in arid conditions, not the tundra, de Mendoza said, so they were probably a red-ish brown, adding: 'The habitat they once roamed on is no longer here.
'Most species extinctions these days occur due to habitat loss. If we couldn't preserve their habitat while they were still alive, why should we bring them back?'
Capon wonders whether developing the technology to resurrect long-dead creatures could make people less diligent at preventing extinction.
'If we bring them back, will they be zoo attractions?' he said.
As controversial as de-extinction is, both Capon and de Mendoza understand where Lamm is coming from.
Capon would love a pet dodo, 'just not enough to try to bring them back.' More Trending
De Mendoza said he would de-extinct the Tasmanian tiger: 'It is so frustrating that this wonderful animal disappeared in the 1930s.
'I think there's still habitat for it to survive, as long as people don't kill it… That said, my hopes for seeing a Tasmanian tiger come back from extinction and not just a kangaroo with some stripes are rather low.'
Lamm understands where his critics are coming from, too. Which animals Colossal hopes to de-extinct take into account whether they'd have a positive impact on the environment or help conservation efforts.
'If bringing back the species can also inspire the next generation,' he added, 'then that is just another bonus.'
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
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Metro
2 days ago
- Metro
The woolly mammoth and a 30ft sea cow could all soon be back from the dead
If all goes to plan, Ben Lamm's next Christmas card to his friends will be of him posing with a woolly mammoth and a dodo. Lamm, 43, is the billionaire entrepreneur who founded Colossal Biosciences, a genetic engineering company, in 2021. What the company hopes to do is certainly colossal – working to resurrect extinct species, a process called de-extinction. The idea, Lamm told Metro, came during a call about human-based biology with George Church, a biologist at Harvard Medical School. 'By the way, I'm working to bring back mammoths and other extinct species to reintroduce them back into the Arctic and regenerate the ecosystem. But I have to go now. Goodbye,' Lamm recalled of the call. 'I had just heard the greatest thing ever, and then the call was over. I stayed up all night reading articles and listening to interviews about all these things.' Scientists have long dreamed of reviving extinct species. But earlier this year, Colossal researchers helped bring the dire wolf, a giant, extinct species made famous by Game of Thrones, back from the dead. Kind of. Scientists salvaged DNA from the fossils of dire wolves and edited 20 of their genes into their closest living relatives, grey wolves. (Think Jurassic Park just without the maniacal computer-network engineer.) After creating embryos and implanting them in surrogates, three pups were born: Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi. The pups, with their dense, pale coats, were the first successful case of de-extinction, Colossal said. SOUND ON. You're hearing the first howl of a dire wolf in over 10,000 years. Meet Romulus and Remus—the world's first de-extinct animals, born on October 1, dire wolf has been extinct for over 10,000 years. These two wolves were brought back from extinction using… — Colossal Biosciences® (@colossal) April 7, 2025 Now, Colossal wants to revive the woolly mammoth by giving elephants dense hair and thick fat, and reintroducing them to the Siberian tundra. Lamm said that his team are also 'exclusively focused' on two other extinct creatures: the Tasmanian tiger and the 12-foot-tall bird called Moa, though they haven't cracked how to insert edited genes into eggs yet. 'I'd personally love to bring back the Steller's sea cow,' Lamm said, referring to the extinct, 30-foot-long relative of the manatee, 'but there is nothing to gestate it in until we have artificial wombs working.' Inventing an undo button for extinction sounds like a sci-fi film, but Lamm's reasons for doing it are very much real. Many of the de-extinction candidates were eradicated by humans: The dodo was, well, as dead as a dodo by 1662 after people colonised Mauritius. The Tasmanian tiger was similarly wiped out after European settlers relentlessly hunted the striped marsupials in the 1800s, while the sea cow was wiped out by humans within 27 years of its discovery. Climate change threatens to make even more species vanish, and wildlife populations have already plummeted by 70%. 'Habitats around the planet are changing at a pace that is faster than evolution by natural selection can keep up,' explained Lamm. 'For many species, there is not enough time.' We're launching the Colossal Species Reintroduction Fund: $250K annually to help return missing and at-risk species to the wild. Rewilding restores ecosystems and helps prevent extinctions. This is one more step toward making extinction a thing of the past. — Colossal Biosciences® (@colossal) August 5, 2025 Is de-exctinction, with the power of pipettes and computers, possible? Experts told Metro they aren't so sure. For one, the dire wolves Colossal brought back can be better described as modified grey wolves, said Benjamin Tapon, a PhD student at Queen Mary's School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences. 'By any practical definition of a species, no animal that Colossal has genetically engineered so far is anywhere near the extinct animal they are trying to emulate,' he said. 'Colossal is doing the equivalent of rebuilding the Library of Alexandria by printing PDFs of a few books and adding them to the shelves of the local public library.' As much as dire wolves and grey wolves share 99.5% of their DNA code, Tapon said, people and bananas share 60% of genes. 'It's a bit like saying that Romeo and Juliet shares 99% of its words with 50 Shades of Grey, or a book in another language,' he added. Alex de Mendoza, a senior lecturer at Queen Mary's Centre for Epigenetics, said Game of Thrones and Colossal got a big thing wrong about the dire wolf – they probably weren't white. The wolves lived in arid conditions, not the tundra, de Mendoza said, so they were probably a red-ish brown, adding: 'The habitat they once roamed on is no longer here. 'Most species extinctions these days occur due to habitat loss. If we couldn't preserve their habitat while they were still alive, why should we bring them back?' Capon wonders whether developing the technology to resurrect long-dead creatures could make people less diligent at preventing extinction. 'If we bring them back, will they be zoo attractions?' he said. As controversial as de-extinction is, both Capon and de Mendoza understand where Lamm is coming from. Capon would love a pet dodo, 'just not enough to try to bring them back.' More Trending De Mendoza said he would de-extinct the Tasmanian tiger: 'It is so frustrating that this wonderful animal disappeared in the 1930s. 'I think there's still habitat for it to survive, as long as people don't kill it… That said, my hopes for seeing a Tasmanian tiger come back from extinction and not just a kangaroo with some stripes are rather low.' Lamm understands where his critics are coming from, too. Which animals Colossal hopes to de-extinct take into account whether they'd have a positive impact on the environment or help conservation efforts. 'If bringing back the species can also inspire the next generation,' he added, 'then that is just another bonus.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: I went inside the Navy's secret battlespace barely anyone knows about MORE: I discovered the murky world of 'minor attracted people' – it's even more disturbing than you think MORE: Moment huge black bear is chased out of home by tiny Pomeranian dog
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
Microplastics. Not just bottles. Here's what we should fret about
This week, the world is coming together to thrash out an agreement on the UN Global Plastics Treaty. In a world where plastic production is exponential increasing, this is crucial. Plastics and particularly microplastics, into which these useful and adaptable materials break down, are of increasing concern, and contributing to a global plastic pollution crisis. At the heart of the concern are microplastics, small pieces of plastic less than 5 mm in diameter. They vary widely in terms of the chemicals associated with them – making assessing their health impact and risk difficult. Increasingly they are everywhere from the placenta of unborn babies to the Arctic - and it's the plastic waste sources we don't talk about that most worry me. But what is the problem with them? And what do we actually know about their impact on human and planetary health? 1. Research is starting to show microplastic impact on human health It's still early days in research terms. As the European Environment Agency has put it, 'While much data is available on the presence of microplastics in the environment, knowledge on the health impacts of microplastics is currently lacking.' But the evidence is gradually building. A recent US study, for instance, found both microplastics and nanoplastics in higher concentrations in placentas from premature births than in those births that went to full term. Last week The Lancet launched an independent, indicator-based global monitoring system: titled the Lancet Countdown on health and plastics. 'Plastics,' the Lancet report said, 'cause disease and death from infancy to old age and are responsible for health-related economic losses exceeding US$1·5 trillion [£1.1 trillion] annually. These impacts fall disproportionately upon low-income and at-risk populations.' In a series of letters published last week, titled Act Boldly or Fail, scientists called for 'legally binding targets to cap and reduce plastic production and the phase-out of toxic additives and chemicals in plastics'. They reminded negotiators that the costs of inaction are not abstract, but "can be counted in cancers, reproductive harms, and respiratory conditions". Dr Cressida Bowyer, Deputy Director of the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth, said: 'There is clear and growing evidence that plastic poses serious risks to human health. Yet the approach to health protection in the treaty still hangs in the balance. In order to operationalise the global plastics treaty objective to 'protect human health and the environment from plastic pollution' the treaty must directly address human health impacts in the core obligations of the treaty.' 2. In the UK we use, and produce more plastic per capita than average According to EHA, the global average consumption of short-life plastic per person per year is 20.9 kilograms, but the average plastic consumption per capita in the UK is 31.1 kilograms. Research by The Big Plastic Count has shown that households are throwing away 1.7 billion pieces of plastic a week—amounting to 90 billion pieces a year. 3. Less than 10% of plastic globally is recycled That's the figure calculated by an OECD report published earlier in 2022. And in the UK, that rate is looking like 17%. 4. The problem is still growing exponentially. As the Lancet puts it, production has increased 'from 2 megatonnes (Mt) in 1950, to 475 Mt in 2022 that is projected to be 1200 Mt by 2060.' Alongside that, pollution has risen, with now 8000Mt of plastic waste polluting the planet. 5. Microplastic concentrations are rising in Scotland's seas Marine Scotland data, obtained in a freedom of information request by the Ferret last year, revealed that the highest concentration of microplastics found in Scotland was in a sample taken from the Solway Firth, where surface water was estimated to contain 210,891 microplastics per square kilometre. It was also nearly two and a half times higher than the largest sample taken previously in the firth in 2016. Large concentrations of microplastics in waters were also found south of Tiree (106,453 microplastics per square kilometre), off the East Lothian coast near Dunbar, (81,982 per square kilometre) and in the North Sea oil and gas area of Long Forties (36,304 microplastics in a sample). Winds of Change on microplastics (Image: Derek McArthur) 6. We've banned some single-use plastic products – but still new items keep coming along We can celebrate the successes of banning cotton buds and plastic straws, but these plastic items are just the tip of the plastic-berg, with new single-use products always coming on the market, and eventually, hitting our shorelines and landfills. Just last week an open letter called for the banning of the latest single-use scourge, the disposable dental flosser. 7. Microplastics are entering our soil through sewage sludge One way in which microplastics are entering the environment is via sewage sludge spread on farmland. A study, carried out by the James Hutton Institute and Robert Gordon University, found the prevalence of microplastics in soil was more than 15 times its initial level after four years of sewage sludge application on a farm in North Lanarkshire. The study also found that the number of microplastics in the soil remained relatively unchanged 22 years after application. 8. They are in our food A University of Catania study found them in a wide range of vegetables, including lettuce, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, apples, and pears, with apples and carrots showing the highest levels. They are also in the fish we eat. A US peer-reviewed study detected microplastics in 99%, or 180 out of 182, samples of seafood in Oregon. 9. They are in our brains Research, which looked into postmortem samples from brains spanning a period between 1997 and 2024 found that levels were increasing. 10. Our clothes are a major source We think about plastic bottles, but we don't think enough about the microfibres leaking from our plastic clothes. A University of Leeds report found that UK laundry generates up to 17,847 tonnes of microfibres each year (243g per person), weighing the equivalent of 'around 1,500 double-decker buses'. 11. But so is this rarely talked about microplastic source But, what's not talked about nearly enough – it sometimes feels as if there is an omerta around the subject – is the biggest source of intentionally produced microplastics, the rubber crumb infill found on artificial turf pitches. This crumb in the UK is chiefly produced from end-of-life tyres. Earlier this year, Defra published an evidence project report that stated that artificial sports pitches are the main source of intentionally added microplastic pollution in the UK. According to the Scottish environmental charity, Fidra, 'Each year, thousands of tonnes of microplastics are lost during their use (mainly playing football but also other sports), maintenance, and disposal, ultimately ending up in our drains, soils, rivers, and eventually wildlife. Though the EU had already announced a crumb rubber ban in 3G pitches to come fully into force in 2013, the UK has not yet followed suit. Responding to the DEFRA report, Professor Andrew Watterson of University of Stirling, criticised the delay. 'The Defra report provided all UK governments with a two year delay on taking similar action to the EU if it wished to follow their lead.' 'It now looks as if those governments will send the report out for wider consultation and further delay." Prof Watterson said that report appeared geared 'in many respects to weight economic factors highly and downplays externalised costs to wider 'society', sustainability and the need for an effective circular economy". He believes a phase out of 3G rubber crumb pitches is 'necessary and quite feasible'. 12. Recycling may be exacerbating the microplastic problem Research carried out by Strathclyde University found that the chopping, shredding and washing of plastic in a recycling facility resulted in wastewater. If the results are more widely representative, that would mean that as much as six to 13 percent of incoming waste may be being turned into microplastics.
Metro
6 days ago
- Metro
Global space race hots up with UK's 'first rocket launch' and moon reactor plans
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video It's all kicking off in the world (or well, no world) of space today, with both the UK and US making massive steps in the space race. In the UK, a Scottish company has received the cosmic equivalent of a space driving license. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has given the green light for Skyrora to launch a rocket from a remote Scottish island. If the launch is successful, Skyrora would become the first British company to manufacture and launch a rocket into space from the UK. SaxaVord, a former radar station on Unst in the Shetland Islands, is the country's only space port – the world of tomorrow is today, folks. It would also be the first rocket launch on British soil in 50 years, when Black Arrow, launched from Woomera in 1971, placed a satellite into orbit. Skylark XL can reach an altitude of 500km, piercing a layer of warm air called the thermosphere, where many satellites and spacecraft orbit. It lacks the capabilities to reach low-Earth orbit, however, the goal of most micro launch companies. The rocket is made from 3D-printed parts and is capable of reaching 3.5 times the speed of sound. Skylark XL could be used to conduct cheap microgravity experiments. The Skylark XL product page says the craft is designed to place payloads into polar orbit up to 1,000km in the atmosphere. Scots could be craning their necks up high to see a 12-metre-long suborbital rocket, a Skylark L, tearing through the clouds next year. The end goal is to launch the bulkier Skyrora XL model. The licence, which was granted last month, says Skyrora can launch a rocket into the heavens up to 16 times a year by 2030. Rob Bishton, CEO of CAA, told Metro: 'Granting a home-grown company, Skyrora, its launch licence is a major milestone for our space sector and our nation. 'Our work as the UK's space regulator is enabling the burgeoning launch industry to safely grow, bringing new jobs and investment with it.' Dr Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, welcomed the news. He told Metro: 'This demonstrates the growing strength of our domestic launch capabilities, and the thriving commercial space economy we are building across the country. 'With companies like Skyrora, we're positioning Britain as the natural choice for customers seeking reliable, cost-effective access to space from European soil.' Alan Thompson, head of government affairs at Skyrora, told Metro that the launchpad won't be used commercially but will test different space tech. 'As for future launches, two of the three stages of the XL vehicle are complete, and we expect to deliver the first stage soon,' he added. 'We plan to complete integration tests of the XL vehicle next year, dependent on manufacturing timelines, and target a launch in 2027.' As the UK reaches for the stars, the US is thinking bigger – both the US and China are working to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon. The US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is set to announce fast-tracked plans to achieve this, fearing that if China does so first, they could 'potentially declare a keep-out zone'. The mini reactor will generate 100 kilowatts of electrical power – enough to keep the lights on for about 80 households – and will be ready to launch by 2029, Duffy wrote in a directive according to Politico. More Trending He added: 'To properly advance this critical technology to be able to support a future lunar economy, high power energy generation on Mars, and to strengthen our national security in space, it is imperative the agency move quickly.' Nuclear power is the only reliable option for astronauts living on the Moon, where a day is about a month, half spent in scorching sun and the other in frigid darkness. The Moon's South Pole is likely where a nuclear reactor could be set up, where it's sunny 80% more of the time and frozen water hides in craters. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Earth is spinning so fast that today will be shorter – but is time going faster? MORE: Storm Floris causes flight disruption as Jet2 and Easyjet issue updates MORE: Rail passengers warned not to travel north of Newcastle when Storm Floris hits
