Is Colossal Biosciences the Real-Life Jurassic Park?
Let's be honest. When you hear about a company actively working to bring back extinct animals using genetic science, your mind probably jumps to one place: Jurassic Park. The iconic gates, the majestic (and terrifying) dinosaurs, and the tagline that promised a walk with prehistory are permanently etched in our cultural DNA. And yes, on the surface, the celebrity loved Colossal Biosciences, with its sights set on the Woolly Mammoth, Tasmanian Tiger, and Dodo, shares that initial, breathtaking "wow" factor. As they did with the announcements of their Woolly Mouse and Dire Wolf, which dominated global headlines. They are, in essence, making the impossible possible, leveraging incredible scientific advancements to resurrect creatures lost to time. That shared ambition, the audacious reach into the past, is where the most compelling comparison begins and ends.
While the premise might sound like a Spielberg pitch, the reality of Colossal Biosciences is entirely different. The crucial divergence lies in the "why." InGen built a theme park for profit and spectacle, with a famously cavalier attitude towards consequences. Colossal, however, frames its mission firmly within conservation and ecosystem restoration. Their goal isn't petting zoos filled with mammoths but reintroducing functionally equivalent animals to help repair damaged environments, like the Arctic tundra.
The "how" of it is also vastly different. Jurassic Park relied on extracting complete dinosaur DNA from mosquitoes in ambera creative concept, but with significant scientific hurdles due to DNA degradation over millions of years. Colossal's approach involves using sophisticated gene-editing technology (like CRISPR) to introduce key traits of extinct animals into the genomes of their closest living relatives (for the mammoth, that's the Asian elephant). And then there are the animals themselves. While dinosaurs are undeniably awe-inspiring, Colossal focuses on species that disappeared much more recently, often due to human impact, and importantly, played vital roles in their ecosystems. Bringing back a mammoth isn't just a cool trick; it's theorized to help restore the Arctic grasslands and combat permafrost melt.
Ultimately, while the ghost of Jurassic Park might linger in the public imagination whenever the topic of de-extinction is mentioned, Colossal Biosciences operates with a different purpose, a different scientific method, and a commitment to ethical considerations and transparency—a far cry from the profit-driven science run amok depicted on Isla Nublar. It taps into that same deep human fascination with lost worlds, but with its science fixed firmly on the future health of our planet.
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Int'l Business Times
2 days ago
- Int'l Business Times
Is Colossal Biosciences the Real-Life Jurassic Park?
Let's be honest. When you hear about a company actively working to bring back extinct animals using genetic science, your mind probably jumps to one place: Jurassic Park. The iconic gates, the majestic (and terrifying) dinosaurs, and the tagline that promised a walk with prehistory are permanently etched in our cultural DNA. And yes, on the surface, the celebrity loved Colossal Biosciences, with its sights set on the Woolly Mammoth, Tasmanian Tiger, and Dodo, shares that initial, breathtaking "wow" factor. As they did with the announcements of their Woolly Mouse and Dire Wolf, which dominated global headlines. They are, in essence, making the impossible possible, leveraging incredible scientific advancements to resurrect creatures lost to time. That shared ambition, the audacious reach into the past, is where the most compelling comparison begins and ends. While the premise might sound like a Spielberg pitch, the reality of Colossal Biosciences is entirely different. The crucial divergence lies in the "why." InGen built a theme park for profit and spectacle, with a famously cavalier attitude towards consequences. Colossal, however, frames its mission firmly within conservation and ecosystem restoration. Their goal isn't petting zoos filled with mammoths but reintroducing functionally equivalent animals to help repair damaged environments, like the Arctic tundra. The "how" of it is also vastly different. Jurassic Park relied on extracting complete dinosaur DNA from mosquitoes in ambera creative concept, but with significant scientific hurdles due to DNA degradation over millions of years. Colossal's approach involves using sophisticated gene-editing technology (like CRISPR) to introduce key traits of extinct animals into the genomes of their closest living relatives (for the mammoth, that's the Asian elephant). And then there are the animals themselves. While dinosaurs are undeniably awe-inspiring, Colossal focuses on species that disappeared much more recently, often due to human impact, and importantly, played vital roles in their ecosystems. Bringing back a mammoth isn't just a cool trick; it's theorized to help restore the Arctic grasslands and combat permafrost melt. Ultimately, while the ghost of Jurassic Park might linger in the public imagination whenever the topic of de-extinction is mentioned, Colossal Biosciences operates with a different purpose, a different scientific method, and a commitment to ethical considerations and transparency—a far cry from the profit-driven science run amok depicted on Isla Nublar. It taps into that same deep human fascination with lost worlds, but with its science fixed firmly on the future health of our planet.
Int'l Business Times
22-05-2025
- Int'l Business Times
The Surprising Climate Power Of Penguin Poo
Antarctica's icy wilderness is warming rapidly under the weight of human-driven climate change, yet a new study points to an unlikely ally in the fight to keep the continent cool: penguin poo. Published Thursday in Communications Earth & Environment, the research shows that ammonia wafting off penguin guano seeds extra cloud cover above coastal Antarctica, likely blocking sunlight and nudging temperatures down. Lead author Matthew Boyer, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Helsinki, told AFP that lab studies had long shown gaseous ammonia can help form clouds. But "to actually quantify this process and to see its influence in Antarctica hasn't been done," he said. Antarctica is an ideal natural laboratory. With virtually no human pollution and scant vegetation -- both alternative sources of cloud-forming gases -- penguin colonies dominate as ammonia emitters. The birds' future, however, is under threat. Shrinking sea ice disrupts their nesting, feeding and predator-avoidance routines -- making it all the more urgent to understand their broader ecological role. Along with other seabirds such as Imperial Shags, penguins expel large amounts of ammonia through droppings, an acrid cocktail of feces and urine released via their multi-purpose cloacas. When that ammonia mixes with sulfur-bearing gases from phytoplankton -- the microscopic algae that bloom in the surrounding ocean -- it boosts the formation of tiny aerosol particles that grow into clouds. To capture the effect in the real world, Boyer and teammates set up instruments at Argentina's Marambio Base on Seymour Island, off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Over three summer months -- when penguin colonies are bustling and phytoplankton photosynthesis peaks -- they monitored wind direction, ammonia levels and newly minted aerosols. When the breeze blew from a 60,000-strong Adelie penguin colony eight kilometers (five miles) away, atmospheric ammonia spiked to 13.5 parts per billion -- about a thousand times the background level. For over a month after the birds had departed on their annual migration, concentrations stayed roughly 100 times higher, with the guano-soaked ground acting as a slow-release fertilizer. Particle counters told the same story: cloud-seeding aerosols surged whenever air masses arrived from the colony, at times thick enough to generate a dense fog. Chemical fingerprints in the particles pointed back to penguin-derived ammonia. Boyer calls it a "synergistic process" between penguins and phytoplankton that supercharges aerosol production in the region. "We provide evidence that declining penguin populations could cause a positive climate-warming feedback in the summertime Antarctic atmosphere," the authors write -- though Boyer emphasized that this remains a hypothesis, not a confirmed outcome. Globally, clouds have a net cooling effect by reflecting solar radiation back into space. Based on Arctic modeling of seabird emissions, the team believes a similar mechanism is likely at play in Antarctica. But the impact also depends on what's beneath the clouds. Ice sheets and glaciers also reflect much of the Sun's energy, so extra cloud cover over these bright surfaces could trap infrared heat instead -- meaning the overall effect hinges on where the clouds form and drift. Still, the findings highlight the profound interconnections between life and the atmosphere -- from the Great Oxygenation Event driven by photosynthesizing microbes billions of years ago to penguins influencing cloud cover today. "This is just another example of this deep connection between the ecosystem and atmospheric processes, and why we should care about biodiversity and conservation," Boyer said. For over a month after the Adelie penguin colony had departed on their annual migration, concentrations of atmospheric amonia stayed roughly 100 times higher AFP
Int'l Business Times
19-05-2025
- Int'l Business Times
Colossal's Dire Wolf De-Extinction: The Science Behind the Breakthrough
In a breakthrough that blurs the line between science fiction and reality, biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences has achieved what many thought impossible: bringing an extinct species back to life. On April 8, 2025, Colossal announced the successful birth of three dire wolf pups—Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi—marking the first-ever de-extinction of an animal through advanced genetic engineering. For Australian audiences, this achievement resonates particularly strongly, given the nation's own painful history with extinction and its ongoing battle to preserve unique fauna found nowhere else on Earth. From Ancient DNA to Three Living Pups The dire wolf ( Aenocyon dirus ), an iconic Ice Age predator that disappeared approximately 13,000 years ago, now walks the earth again. Once known only from fossils and popularized in fantasy through works like George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones , these animals represent a historic milestone in scientific achievement. Colossal's de-extinction process involved a sophisticated fusion of ancient DNA analysis, CRISPR gene editing, and reproductive technologies. Rather than finding a perfectly preserved specimen to clone directly, Colossal's team reconstructed the dire wolf genome and engineered living animals to match it. "Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies," explained Ben Lamm, CEO of Colossal Biosciences. "It was once said, 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' Today, our team gets to unveil some of the magic they are working on and its broader impact on conservation." De-Extinction Through Genetic Innovation The scientific journey began with extracting genetic material from dire wolf fossils. From these ancient remains, scientists sequenced and assembled the extinct predator's genome, creating a genetic blueprint that would guide the revival process. Comparing this blueprint to the dire wolf's closest living relative—the gray wolf—Colossal's team identified 14 important genes carrying 20 distinct genetic variants that give dire wolves their characteristic features. These included genes influencing size, musculature, skull shape, tooth structure, coat texture, and even vocalization patterns. Using CRISPR technology, scientists edited living cells from gray wolves to carry these dire wolf genes. Twenty precise genetic edits were made to create the dire wolf. After careful genetic modification, Colossal applied cloning techniques to turn these edited cells into embryos. Scientists removed the genetic material from donor egg cells and replaced it with the nucleus of the edited cells. These reconstructed eggs were developed into embryos and implanted into surrogate mothers—domestic dogs, specifically hound mixes—for gestation. The first two pups, Romulus and Remus (both males), were born in October 2024 after approximately 65 days of gestation . A few months later, in January 2025, a third surrogate gave birth to the female pup, Khaleesi. Where Sci-Fi Becomes Reality Now at six months and three months old respectively, the snowy-white dire wolf pups are thriving at a dedicated 2,000-acre protected reserve under round-the-clock care and monitoring. Already exhibiting classic dire wolf traits, they have thick white fur, broad heads, and hefty builds, weighing approximately 80 pounds at just six months old. For comparison, red wolves—one of the largest existing wolf species—typically weigh just 35 to 45 pounds at that age. The stark contrast underscores the dire wolves' massive stature and distinctiveness, even at such an early stage of development. Interestingly, their behavior reflects their wild nature. Unlike domestic puppies, Romulus and Remus keep their distance from humans. They flinch or retreat even from familiar caretakers, demonstrating genuine wild lupine instincts despite never having encountered another dire wolf. This breakthrough is the latest from Colossal's de-extinction platform, which has also created "woolly mice" with mammoth genes. The dire wolf achievement, with even more genetic edits, suggests the company's timeline for reviving other extinct species, including plans to reintroduce the woolly mammoth by 2028 and the thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) thereafter, might be feasible. Australian Conservation Applications and Future Impact While the dire wolf never roamed the Australian continent, the technology behind its revival has profound implications for Australia's unique conservation challenges. Australia faces one of the world's most severe extinction crises. As of early 2025, the number of Australian animals, plants, and ecological communities officially recognized as being in danger of extinction has risen to 2,142. The situation continues to worsen, with 144 species added to the threatened species list in 2023 alone—five times more than the yearly average. Beyond the scientific marvel, Colossal emphasizes that de-extinction science directly benefits extant endangered species worldwide, including Australia's threatened fauna. Alongside the dire wolf births, the company announced the successful cloning of two litters of critically endangered red wolves ( Canis rufus ), producing four healthy pups using the same "non-invasive blood cloning" approach developed in the dire wolf work. With fewer than 20 red wolves remaining in the wild in North America, making them the most endangered wolves on the planet, this technological crossover demonstrates immediate conservation applications. The red wolf cloning success could potentially increase the number of founding lineages in the captive breeding population by 25%. "The same technologies that created the dire wolf can directly help save a variety of other endangered animals as well. This is an extraordinary technological leap for both science and conservation," said Dr. Christopher Mason, a Colossal scientific advisor. Perhaps most significantly for Australia, the technologies developed in the dire wolf project are advancing Colossal's work to resurrect the thylacine (Tasmanian tiger), one of Australia's most notorious extinction events, occurring less than a century ago. Breakthroughs in October 2024 have produced a 99.9% complete thylacine genome from a 110-year-old preserved specimen. The University of Melbourne's TIGRR lab (Thylacine Integrated Genomic Restoration Research) is collaborating with Colossal on this project, with scientists suggesting the same de-extinction techniques could help protect current endangered Australian species. Ethics and Future Applications The revival of the dire wolf opens unprecedented possibilities for conservation and biodiversity restoration. The American Humane Society has certified Colossal's animal care facilities. For indigenous communities, the revival carries profound cultural significance. This collaborative approach to de-extinction, working with indigenous communities and conservation organizations, creates a model for responsible innovation. George R.R. Martin, author of Game of Thrones and a Colossal investor, captured the wonder of this achievement: "I get the luxury to write about magic, but Ben and Colossal have created magic by bringing these majestic beasts back to our world."
