Colossal Biosciences’ CEO reveals that they are three years away from reviving an extinct animal by using the science from Jurᴀssic World Rebirth. The latest entry in the Jurᴀssic Park franchise revolves around a special operation led by Scarlett Johansson’s Zora Bennett, who revisits the abandoned Jurᴀssic Park site from Steven Spielberg’s 1993 classic to extract DNA samples. Taking place 34 years after the ill-fated events in the original movie, the new thriller, coming to theaters on July 2, dives deep into a secret experimental site from InGen’s past, where new, mutated species have been left to evolve freely.
In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley, Ben Lamm, the CEO and co-founder of Colossal Biosciences, reveals that they’re only three years away from reviving the wooly mammoth. The CEO shared the timeline of the revival, explaining that “things are going pretty well” and if everything goes according to plan, they’ll be “on track for 2028” for the first birth. Check out his comments below:
Our goal is to have our first calves by 2028. By the end of 2026, we’ll have our embryos. It’s a 22 month gestation. Separately, our animal operations team [is] working on northern white rhinos, southern rhinos, and elephants [with] what’s called OPO pickup–basically artificial insemination–which helps for conservation.
But as long as all of that works, then I think we’ll be on track for 2028 for our first birth. And that seems to be working. So right now our goal is still the end of 2028. Could it slip? Yeah. But if it does, I think it slips months, not decades. So yeah, things are going pretty well.
What This Means For De-Extinct Technology
Wooly Mammoths Could Be Resurrected In Three Years
Colossal, known as the world’s first de-extinction company, uses genetic engineering and reproduction technologies to bring back extinct animals. Previously, the company resurrected dire wolves through gene editing, combining DNA extracted from ancient dire wolf fossils with the DNA from gray wolves. Lamm’s comment clarifies that they’re not only working on wooly mammoths, but also a few other animals that have become extinct.
In Jurᴀssic Park, InGen brought back dinosaurs by combining prehistoric DNA samples stored in fossilized mosquitoes and frogs’ DNA, resulting in mutations beyond the team’s anticipation. While the horrific events were dramatized, the science used in the film has become a reality. In the same interview with ScreenRant, Lamm also clarified that the de-extinct animals they created in the lab are only engineered versions of the ancient species, which means that they might not share the same physical traits, which explains why the dinosaurs in Jurᴀssic World Rebirth‘s trailer don’t seem to accurately reflect their prehistoric appearances.
Our Take On Jurᴀssic World Rebirth And De-Extinction Technology
Jurᴀssic World Rebirth Could Explore The Benefits Of De-extinction Technology
Jurᴀssic Park and its sequels often focus on the danger and fallout around the scientific experiments that brought back dinosaurs in the first place. However, Zora’s mission in Jurᴀssic World Rebirth might shed a new light on the technology, with the DNA from the engineered versions of dinosaurs being used to save humanity rather than endanger it.
Lamm’s comments give hints about how genetically engineered animals can be beneficial, including restoring lost ecosystem functions, advancing scientific knowledge, and correcting human-caused extinctions. We are still nowhere close to recreating dinosaurs, but genetically engineered animals are a highly controversial topic, and films like Jurᴀssic World Rebirth help popularize the conversation and the surrounding science.
