bringing back the woolly mammoth

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Dallas serial tech entrepreneur Ben Lamm has never shied away from a challenge – even a colossal one.

By the age of 39, he had started five companies, many of which were bought for sums of money he doesn’t want to talk about. He switched from mobile software development to immersive game development to artificial intelligence products.

But none of this comes close to Lamm’s latest and most adventurous endeavor to date.

Lamm wants to bring Woolly Mammoths back to the arctic tundra and creates a new life science and genetics company with Colossal to help bring that dream to life.

He starts with $ 15 million in seed capital that will help harness genetic engineering to create a model for extinction with the goal of restoring degraded ecosystems.

And he’s working with one of the leading pioneers in genome sequencing, Harvard geneticist George Church. Colossal will support research in the laboratory at Harvard Medical School in Church under a sponsored research agreement to create an elephant-mammoth hybrid that has been genetically engineered to survive in the Arctic.

“Never before has mankind been able to harness the power of this technology to rebuild ecosystems, heal our earth and preserve its future by repopulating extinct animals,” said Lamm, who will serve as CEO of Colossal.

The company plans to use CRISPR, a gene-editing technology, to modify the genes of Asian elephants, which are most closely related to the extinct woolly mammoth. Scientists identified more than 60 genes that are needed to create a functional woolly mammoth.

After creating embryos with woolly mammoth characteristics, the company has to decide where to grow them: either in an elephant or possibly in an artificial uterus, Lamm said.

He hopes to see the first calves in four to six years.

The artificial calves will not be identical to the woolly mammoth, which became extinct about 10,000 years ago. But they should have traits that made the woolly mammoth successful in the arctic tundra, such as thicker layers of fat and coarse, shaggy fur.

With its goals, Colossal is at the forefront of genetic engineering research. Fortunately, it’s a place Church feels comfortable.

The geneticist developed the first direct genome sequencing method and in 1984 helped with the Human Genome Project, an international research project to determine the DNA sequence of the entire human genome. He is a founding member of the Wyss Institute at Harvard, where he leads synthetic biology.

Behind Colossal is a team of high-profile investors, including lead investor and billionaire Thomas Tull, Jeff Wilke, former CEO of Amazon’s global consumer business, and Winklevoss Capital, the company founded by the Winklevoss twins, who were primarily responsible for their high profile -public struggle to found Facebook.

The company’s hardware, genetic rescue, and species restoration departments are located in Dallas, while core software is located in Austin.

Lamm said his new company is “a new wave of prudent, disruptive conservation” aimed at combating climate change and biodiversity loss. According to a 2020 study, a third of all plant and animal species could be threatened with extinction by 2070.

“Technologies discovered in pursuit of this great vision – a living, walking representative of a mammoth – could create very significant opportunities for conservation and beyond,” said Church. “Last but not least, this includes arousing public interest in MINT, prompting discussions on bioethics and raising awareness of the vital importance of biodiversity.”

As they step into the controversial world of cloning and gene editing, the Colossal co-founders said they partner with bioethicists to make sure their work is good for the environment.

The company is currently only working on the woolly mammoth, said Lamm.

“I think every time you invent new technology or advance humanity, you’re going to get points of friction,” he said. “We don’t just focus on science. We want to take humanity with us on this journey. “

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