A genetically engineered mouse with strikingly dense, woolly fur is currently attracting attention in the scientific community. The so-called “woolly mouse” is considered a potential first step toward reviving extinct species, especially the woolly mammoth.
The US company Colossal Biosciences is pursuing an ambitious goal: by 2028, it aims to create a mammoth-like hybrid species. Researchers plan to integrate genetic traits of the woolly mammoth into its closest living relative, the Asian elephant. The objective is to develop an animal adapted to extreme cold that could survive in Arctic regions.
Before conducting experiments on elephants, the team is testing its methods on smaller animals. In the current study, researchers identified several genetic differences between mammoths and elephants that influence fur structure, body fat, and coloration. Using modern gene-editing technologies, they made targeted modifications to mouse genes. The result is a mouse with golden, dense, and wavy fur reminiscent of that of a woolly mammoth.
Despite this progress, there are critical voices within the scientific community. Evolutionary biologist Robin Lovell-Badge emphasizes that it remains unclear whether the modified mice are actually better adapted to cold. This leaves a key question unanswered: whether such genetic interventions can truly produce functional mammoth traits.
Other experts also express doubts about the feasibility of the project. Geneticist Tori Herridge points out that even extensive genetic modifications would only approximate an extinct animal, bringing back a true mammoth would not be possible this way.
In addition to scientific concerns, there is also ethical and ecological criticism. Some argue that the substantial financial resources, Colossal Biosciences has invested several hundred million dollars since 2021, might be better spent on protecting endangered species. Moreover, using living relatives of extinct animals, as in projects involving species like the dodo, could pose additional risks to those species.
The researchers themselves, however, see significant potential for climate protection. They argue that mammoth-like animals could slow the thawing of permafrost in Arctic regions through their behavior, thereby reducing the release of climate-damaging carbon.
Whether the “woolly mouse” truly represents the first step toward the return of the mammoth or remains a spectacular but limited experiment is still uncertain. What is clear, however, is that the project raises fundamental questions about the possibilities and limits of modern genetic engineering.
Rosamaria Kubny, PolarJournal