They’re not building Jurassic Park—at least, not yet. That’s what Ben Lamm, CEO of Colossal, told audiences at SXSW when pressed about his company’s radical mission to bring back extinct species. His reasoning? Humanity wiped them out, so now it’s on us to fix it.
Colossal is no small-time startup. Backed by hundreds of millions in venture capital and currently valued at $10.2 billion, the Dallas-based company is spearheading the controversial push to resurrect long-lost creatures. Their targets include the woolly mammoth, the dodo bird, and the Tasmanian tiger.
Dinosaurs, however, are out of the question. Unlike mammoths and dodos, their DNA is long gone, making resurrection impossible—sorry, Spielberg fans. But Colossal’s ambitions don’t stop at just bringing back extinct creatures; they plan to “re-wild” these species and even leverage them for carbon sequestration.
By 2028, the company hopes to introduce woolly mammoth hybrid calves into Arctic tundras. The Tasmanian tiger is also on the docket, with plans to reintroduce it to its old stomping grounds in Australia after a stint in captivity. If successful, these efforts could reshape ecosystems on a massive scale.
Colossal isn’t just about mammoths and tigers. They’ve already created a gene-edited “woolly mouse”—a rodent sporting shaggy fur reminiscent of its prehistoric namesake. While some experts downplay the experiment as little more than a mouse genetics study, Lamm insists it proves they’re on the right track.
Critics question whether this is real science or just flashy biotech theater. But with billions in funding and high-profile backers, Colossal isn’t waiting for approval. They see de-extinction not just as a scientific possibility but as an inevitable step in biotechnology’s evolution.
Lamm also touched on AI, warning that the combination of artificial intelligence, computing power, and synthetic biology is the most dangerous technological shift the world has ever seen. Yet, despite the risks, he believes we’re heading toward a future where these tools revolutionize conservation, medicine, and even industry.
Whether it’s a bold new era for science or a high-stakes genetic gamble, one thing’s clear—Colossal isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of what’s possible. And if they succeed, the future might look a lot more like the past than anyone ever expected.
Five Fast Facts
- The last known Tasmanian tiger died in captivity in 1936, but unconfirmed sightings still persist in Australia.
- The woolly mammoth coexisted with early humans, who hunted them for food and used their bones for shelter.
- The dodo bird went extinct by 1681, largely due to sailors and introduced species wiping them out.
- Some scientists believe reviving the woolly mammoth could help slow climate change by restoring grasslands in the Arctic.
- Colossal’s co-founder, George Church, was a key figure in the development of CRISPR gene-editing technology.
