The revival of the haired mammoths that wandered around the frozen tunders of Europe, Asia and North America until they disappeared about 4,000 years ago by scientists at the Colossal Biosciences Biotechnology Society.

Colossal became known in 2021 when it revealed an ambitious plan for the revival of the hair mammoth and later the Dodo bird. Since then, the company has focused on identifying basic characteristic missing animals by studying ancient DNA, with the aim of “genetically converting them into living animals,” said CEO Ben Lamm.

Scientists at the company examined mouse DNA databases to detect genes related to hair texture and fat metabolism. They chose the two characteristics because these mutations are probably related to cold tolerance – a property that the woolen mammoths had to survive.

The group focused on the disturbance of nine genes associated with color, texture, length or pattern of hair or hair follicles. Most of these genes were chosen because they were already known to affect mice hair, while disorders are expected to produce physical characteristics similar to those observed in mammoths.

Colossal said that it first focused on mice to confirm whether the process is working before it could possibly process the Asian elephant embryos, the nearest mammoth relatives.

However, because Asian elephants are endangered, there will be “many procedures and bureaucracy” before proceeding with any plan, said Colossal’s Lamm, whose company has raised more than $ 400 million in funding.

But there are also experts who are skeptical of this idea of ​​”degeneration”.

“You do not resurrect anything in reality – you do not restore the ancient past,” said Christopher Preston of the University of Montana.

“You may be able to change the hair pattern of an Asian elephant or adapt it to the cold, but it doesn’t bring back a woolen mammoth. It does not change an Asian elephant, “Preston stressed.

However, improving the gene treatment in animals could have other uses for the maintenance or agriculture of animals, said Bhanu Telugu, who studies animal biotechnology at the University of Missouri and did not participate in the new study.