De-extinction: Scientists are 'close' to bringing back extinct species in major breakthrough

UPDATED: Jan 18, 2025 01:09 IST

The idea of bringing extinct species back to life is inching closer to reality, with advances in genetic engineering and synthetic biology, CNN has reported.

According to the report, Dallas-based biotech company Colossal Biosciences is at the forefront of these efforts, focusing on reviving the woolly mammoth, dodo, and Tasmanian tiger.

With $435 million in total funding, including a recent $200 million boost, the company is aiming to bring these creatures back within the next decade.

The company’s ambitious plans have garnered attention from high-profile investors, including director Peter Jackson and socialite Paris Hilton.

Colossal’s co-founder Ben Lamm said that these de-extinction projects could aid conservation efforts and improve ecosystems, helping mitigate climate change. Lamm said: "Restoring extinct species is bringing new attention and resources to conservation."

The CNN report said that critics feel de-extinction may be an expensive distraction.

For instance, Melanie Challenger, deputy co-chair of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, pointed out that what scientists are doing is not truly “bringing back the dead.” Instead, it is genetic engineering to create a species that mimics extinct animals.

Also, concerns have been raised about potential harm to current ecosystems and the ethical issues surrounding such projects.

De-extinction efforts primarily use cloning, genetic engineering, and selective breeding to recreate extinct species. Cloning has been used with some success, such as in the case of the endangered black-footed ferret, though experts believe it won’t work for animals that have been gone for thousands of years. Selective breeding is being used by other projects, like Grazelands Rewilding, which is working to recreate the aurochs, an ancient ox species.

At Colossal, the focus is on gene-editing, particularly with the woolly mammoth. The company is editing the genes of the Asian elephant to give it mammoth-like traits suited to survive in cold environments. Progress has also been made in bringing back the Tasmanian tiger, with 300 genetic edits completed in the fat-tailed dunnart, a relative of the extinct marsupial. For the dodo, Colossal is working with Nicobar pigeons to create a genetic blueprint for its revival.

Despite the excitement, experts like Clare Palmer, a professor at Texas A&M University, remain skeptical. “Ecosystems are changing rapidly, and we don’t know enough about how these species would function in today’s world,” Palmer said.