By Tara Thompson
Recently, scientists have been toying with the idea of bringing Wooly Mammoths back to life. After working on this theory for two years they think they finally have an expected year for Mammoths to roam the earth again, 2027. Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences, a company based in Dallas, recently added $60 million worth of funding to reach their goal. Colossal is now working on editing the Mammoths genes to bring this long extinct creature back. Not only will it bring the Mammoth back, but if successful scientists think it has the potential to combat climate change.
The Wooly Mammoth happens to be a 99.6% match to the Asian Elephant which Colossal believes is on its way to achieving their goal in time. “Our teams have collected viable DNA samples and are editing the genes that will allow this wonderful megafauna to once again thunder through the Arctic,” the company says.
Through editing the genes of these creatures, Colossal scientists will eventually be able to create an embryo of a wooly mammoth and place that embryo in an African elephant. Allowing it to give birth to the new wooly mammoth. Their eventual goal is to then repopulate parts of the Arctic with the new wooly mammoth and strengthen local plant life with the migration patterns and dietary habits of this creature
Mammoths used to scrape away layers of snow so that cold air could reach the soil and maintain the permafrost. After they became extinct, the accumulated snow, with its insulating properties, meant the permafrost began to warm, thus releasing greenhouse gasses. Scientists argue that returning mammoths to the Arctic could reverse that trend and help fight climate change.
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