Colossal Biosciences has announced that it has brought the dire wolf back from extinction. The Dallas-based “de-extinction” company announced the rebirth the once extinct dire wolf.
The dire wolf, largely assumed to be a legendary creature made famous from the HBO hit series Game of Thrones, was an American canid that had previously been extinct for over 12,500 years. I’ve done an interview with the corporate leaders, who were really planning to make the announcement tomorrow until decided to interrupt the news embargo. I’ll run that interview later.
The successful birth of three dire wolves is a revolutionary milestone of scientific progress that illustrates one other step forward in Colossal’s de-extinction technologies and is a critical step on the pathway to the de-extinction of other goal species, the corporate said. Yep, it’s just like the plot of Jurassic Park.
Additionally, Colossal has birthed two litters of cloned red wolves, probably the most critically endangered wolf on the planet, using a brand new approach to non-invasive blood cloning. The birth of red wolves provides further evidence of the link between de-extinction efforts and the corporate’s growing capability to support conservation efforts globally through de-extinction technology innovation.
This news comes on the heels of the recent announcement of the Colossal woolly mouse, which previously held the record for unique germline edits in an animal with eight precision edits.
With the dire wolves, Colossal has made 20 unique precision germline edits including 15 edits from the traditional gene variants which have not existed in over 12,000 years, setting a brand new bar for precision germline editing in any animal.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with the team. This massive milestone is the primary of many coming examples demonstrating that our end-to-end de-extinction technology stack works,” said CEO of Colossal Ben Lamm, in an announcement. “Our team took DNA from a 13,000 yr old tooth and a 72,000 yr old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies. It was once said, ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ Today, our team gets to unveil a number of the magic they’re working on and its broader impact on conservation. ”
Lamm told me he showed the dire wolves of their protected enclave to George R.R. Martin, creator of A Song of Ice and Fire, and Martin broke down in tears. Just last month, Colossal Biosciences said it had created mice with the wooly hair of the wooly mammoth. The company is attempting to bring back the wooly mammoth, the dodo and the thylacine.
The two litters of Colossal’s dire wolves include two adolescent males (Romulus and Remus) and one female puppy (Khaleesi, named after a character). Colossal also birthed two litters of red wolves from three different genetic founder lines. These litters include one adolescent female red wolf (Hope) and three male red wolf puppies (Blaze, Cinder, and Ash).
“Preserving, expanding, and testing genetic diversity must be done well before necessary endangered animal species just like the red wolf are lost. Another source of ecosystem variety stems from our recent technologies to de-extinct lost genes, including deep ancient DNA sequencing, polyphyletic trait analyses, multiplex germline editing, and cloning. The dire wolf is an early example of this, including the biggest variety of precise genomic edits in a healthy vertebrate to date. A capability that’s growing exponentially,” said Harvard geneticist and cofounder of Colossal, George Church, in an announcement.
The wolves are thriving on a 2,000-plus-acre secure expansive ecological preserve that’s certified by the American Humane Society and registered with USDA. Colossal employs ten full time animal care staff to support the wolves’ physical and mental well-being. The entire preserve, which incorporates specialized engagement zones and habit types, is enclosed by 10-foot-tall, zoo-grade fencing with redundant perimeter security.
Within the preserve, the wolves are constantly monitored through on-site live cameras, security personnel, and drone tracking to make sure their safety and welfare. The preserve features a smaller, six acre secure site where the dire wolves will be further tended to and studied. This smaller area also supports an on-site veterinary clinic, a wolf management facility, an outside storm shelter, and natural built dens for the wolves.
“Colossal has achieved American Humane Society Certification, the celebrated designation ensuring excellence in animal welfare and care. Optimal welfare is evidenced by spacious habitats with ample space and opportunity for animals to socialize, exercise, and exhibit natural behaviors,” said Robin Ganzert, CEO of American Humane Society, in an announcement. “Staff are passionate, highly engaged and dedicated to the animals of their care. We congratulate Colossal as a shining example of excellence in humane care and welfare. The technology they’re pursuing will be the key to reversing the sixth mass extinction and making extinction events a thing of the past.”
The conservation property will provide lifetime care, feeding, and protection for the wolves. The wolves might be monitored and observed to evaluate their readiness to maneuver into larger protected and managed care facilities. Ultimately Colossal plans to revive the species in secure and expansive ecological preserves on indigenous land.
“The de-extinction of the dire wolf is greater than a biological revival. Its birth symbolizes a reawakening – a return of an ancient spirit to the world. The dire wolf carries the echoes of our ancestors, their wisdom, and their connection to the wild,” shared MHA Nation Tribal Chairman Mark Fox, in an announcement. “Its presence would remind us of our responsibility as stewards of the Earth – to guard not only the wolf, but the fragile balance of life itself. The work of the team at Colossal Biosciences shouldn’t be only significant to our lands and folks, but for conservation efforts across the globe. The ability for technological innovation to bring forth something so culturally and spiritually significant to indigenous people is paralleled by the far reaching impacts that this technology provides for the long run of stewardship on our planet in species diversity and conservation.”
An overview of dire wolves
Dire wolves (Aenocyon dirus) were distributed across the American midcontinent through the Pleistocene ice ages. The oldest confirmed dire wolf fossil, from Black Hills, SD, is around 250,000 years old. Colossal’s genomic data indicate, nevertheless, that the lineage first appeared through the Late Pliocene, between 3.5 and a couple of.5 million years ago, as a consequence of admixture between two more ancient (and now extinct) canid lineages.
Dire wolves were as much as 25% larger than gray wolves and had a rather wider head, light thick fur and stronger jaw. As hyper-carnivores, their food plan comprised not less than 70% meat from mostly horses and bison. Dire wolves went extinct at the tip of probably the most recent ice age, around 13,000 years ago.
“I even have spent nearly 10,000 days in the sphere studying the behavior of the wolves in Yellowstone National Park. Prior to Yellowstone, I worked in Denali National Park in Alaska where I studied wildlife species that live to tell the tale the tundra: wolves, grizzlies, caribou, and Dall sheep,” said Rick Mcintyre, creator and internationally recognized as considered one of the world’s foremost experts on wild wolf behavior, and Colossal Conservation Advisory Board Member. “Later, I spent a while on the northern and western coasts of Alaska. I used to be born far too late to see now extinct Ice Age species similar to dire wolves and mammoths. “
He added, “Long ago, my Celtic ancestors probably lived amongst those animals in northern Europe and could have had some role in contributing to their extinction. I never thought I would live in a time when we’ve got the science to bring back those species and restore them to chose sections of their former homeland. I even have a dream that a while within the near future I can return to Alaska, or the same place in Northern Europe or Asia, and see those extinct species which have been brought back due to science. When that happens, I’ll begin to review the behavior of dire wolves.”
For many individuals, introduction to the dire wolf occurred through the lens of entertainment, relatively than the natural world. Mentions of this legendary prehistoric canid in role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons; video games like World of Warcraft; music just like the Grateful Dead’s aptly-named song, “Dire Wolf”; and most notably, George R.R. Martin’s best-selling fantasy novel series, A Song of Ice and Fire and its TV adaptation, Game of Thrones.
“Many people view dire wolves as mythical creatures that only exist in a fantasy world, but in point of fact, they’ve a wealthy history of contributing to the American ecosystem,” said Game of Thrones creator, esteemed creator, and Colossal Investor and Cultural Advisor George R.R. Martin. “I get the posh to write down about magic, but Ben and Colossal have created magic by bringing these majestic beasts back to our world.”
The science behind the return of the dire wolf
The birth of dire wolf pups proves the efficacy of Colossal’s de-extinction protocols and the feasibility of making a standardized toolkit for de-extinction. The dire wolf pups set the record for variety of precise genetic edits in any living species. The company performed a record 20 precise edits to the genome, all modifications derived from evaluation of the dire wolf genome with 15 of those edits being the precise extinct variants. Together these edits contribute to a bigger, stronger body and an extended, fuller coat with light pigmentation.
To de-extinct the dire wolf, Colossal:
● Extracted and sequenced ancient DNA from two dire wolf fossils;
● Assembled ancient genomes from each, and compared those to genomes from living canids including wolves, jackals, foxes, and dholes;
● Identified gene variants specific to dire wolves;
● Determined that dire wolves had a white coat color, and long thick fur – features of the dire wolf phenotype that were unknowable from fossils and consistent with animals that lived during cold periods of the Pleistocene ice ages;
● Performed multiplex gene editing to a donor genome from their closest living relative, the grey wolf, leading to edits 20 sites in 14 genes with 15 of those edits being extinct variants;
● Screen edited cell lines via whole genome sequencing and karyotyping;
● Cloned top quality cell lines using somatic cell nuclear transfer into donor egg cells;
● Performed embryo transfer and managed interspecies surrogacy; and,
● Successfully birthed an extinct species.
Colossal extracted ancient DNA from two dire wolf fossils: a tooth from Sheridan Pit, Ohio, that’s around 13,000 years old, and an inner ear bone from American Falls, Idaho, around 72,000 years old. The team deeply sequenced the extracted DNA and used Colossal’s novel approach to iteratively assemble top quality ancient genomes, leading to a 3.4-fold coverage genome from the tooth and 12.8-fold coverage genome from the inner ear bone. Together, this data provided greater than 500 times more coverage of the dire wolf genome than was available previously.
Interspecies gestation
Colossal’s computational evaluation of the reconstructed dire wolf genome revealed several unknowns of dire wolf evolution. Previous work couldn’t resolve the origin of dire wolves, resulting in speculation that jackals could also be their closest living relative. Analyses of the top quality dire wolf genome, nevertheless, revealed that the grey wolf is the closest living relative of dire wolves – with dire wolves and grey wolves sharing 99.5% of their DNA code.
Interestingly, the evaluation also revealed that dire wolves have a hybrid ancestry, which helps to elucidate the previous uncertainty. Colossal’s analyses indicated that the dire wolf lineage emerged between 3.5 and a couple of.5 million years ago as a consequence of hybridization between two ancient canid lineages: an ancient and early member of the tribe Canini, which could also be represented within the fossil record as Eucyon or Xenocyon, and a lineage that was a part of the early diversification of wolf-like lineages including wolves, dholes, jackals, and African wild dogs.
“Our novel approach to iteratively improve our ancient genome within the absence of an ideal reference sets a brand new standard for paleogenome reconstruction ,” said Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s chief science officer and a number one expert in the sphere of ancient DNA, in an announcement. ”Together with improved approaches to recuperate ancient DNA, these computational advances allowed us to resolve the evolutionary history of dire wolves and establish the genomic foundation for de-extinction – specifically for choosing with confidence dire wolf specific genetic variants that establish our targets for gene editing.”
Analyses of the dire wolf genome allowed Colossal to discover the important thing variants in dire wolves that usually are not present in other canids that tell the story of dire wolf evolution. For example, Colossal identified multiple genes undergoing positive selection which are linked to dire wolf skeletal, muscular, circulatory, and sensory adaptation. The team discovered dire wolf specific variants in essential pigmentation genes revealing that dire wolves had a white coat color – a proven fact that is unattainable to glean from fossil stays alone. The team also identified dire wolf specific variants in regulatory regions that alter the expression of genes. From this list, Colossal used its proprietary computational pipeline and software to pick 20 gene edits across 14 distinct loci as targets for dire wolf de-extinction, specializing in the core traits that made dire wolves unique including size, musculature, hair color, hair texture, hair length, and coat patterning.
Based on Colossal’s genomic evaluation, the team used gray wolves – the closest living relative of dire wolves – because the donor species for establishing cell lines. Using Colossal’s novel approach to determine cell lines from a typical blood draw, the team collected blood during a traditional veterinary procedure and established cell lines from blood epithelial progenitor cells (EPCs). The team then performed multiplex genome editing of those cells followed by whole genome sequencing to verify editing efficiency and discover any alterations to the genome arising during prolonged cell culture.
The Colossal dire wolf team chosen top quality cells with normal karyotypes for cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer into donor oocytes, followed by short-term culture to verify cleavage. Healthy developing embryos were then transferred into surrogates for interspecies gestation. Three pregnancies led to births of the primary de-extinct species.
“The de-extinction of the dire wolf and an end-to-end system for de-extinction is transformative and heralds a completely recent era of human stewardship of life,” said Christopher Mason, a scientific advisor and member of the board of observers for Colossal, in an announcement. “The same technologies that created the dire wolf can directly help save quite a lot of other endangered animals as well. This is a unprecedented technological leap in genetic engineering efforts for each science and for conservation in addition to preservation of life, and a beautiful example of the facility of biotechnology to guard species, each extant and extinct.”
Colossal edited 15 extinct dire wolf variants into the donor gray wolf genome, creating dire wolves that express genes which have not been expressed for greater than 10,000 years. These goal genes were chosen because each is linked to 1 or more key traits that made dire wolves unique amongst canids. For example, Colossal targeted CORIN, a serine protease that’s expressed in hair follicles and suppresses the agouti pathway, impacting coat color and patterning. The dire wolf CORIN variants impact pigmentation in a way that results in a light-weight coat color.
Colossal also edited dire wolf specific variants in a multi-gene regulatory module that has been linked to variation in body size in addition to ear, skull, and facial morphology. The region encodes eight genes that establish species-specific constraints in skeletal size and structure, and has been linked to features including differences in human height and the varied beak shapes amongst finch species.
One gene encoded by this module – HMGA2 – is directly related to body size in dogs and wolves. Another gene on this module – MSRB3 – has been linked to variation in ear and skull shape amongst canines and other mammals. Given the role of those genes in establishing species-specific size and morphology, the dire wolf team edited dire wolf-specific variants into gene enhancers (DNA sequences make it more likely that the gene might be transcribed into RNA) on this genomic region.
For each high impact variant identified as linked to a goal phenotype, Colossal’s dire wolf team created an in depth profile of all potential impacts on a donor gray wolf genome. To ensure healthy outcomes, the team discarded variants that may incur some risk outside of the anticipated phenotype or prioritized variants already evolved in gray wolves with the anticipated phenotype.
For example, Colossal edited the protein coding region of LCORL, a transcription factor that regulates gene expression by influencing whether a gene is transcribed. Variations in LCORL have been linked to variation in body size in lots of species, including humans, horses, and canids. The dire wolf has three changes to the LCORL protein sequence which are predicted via 3D modeling to change the way in which the protein folds precisely at the situation where LCORL should bind to a serious gene silencing complex often known as the PRC2 domain. Interestingly, large dog breeds (that are domesticated gray wolves) have a variant of LCORL that’s missing the PRC2 domain entirely.
As the dire wolf version is predicted to have the same phenotypic impact because the variant present in larger dog breeds, and due to the potential for LCORL to interact with other genes within the gray wolf genetic background that usually are not edited, Colossal’s dire wolves express the protein that’s present in the biggest grey wolves. This selection allows for the anticipated phenotypic impact and with none additional risk.
“Functional de-extinction uses the safest and simplest approach to bring back the lost phenotypes that make an extinct species unique,” said Shapiro. “We turn to ancient DNA to learn as much as we will about each species and, every time possible, to link specific extinct DNA sequence variants to every key trait. In some cases, we learn that variants already present within the surrogate species will be used to engineer that key trait. In those cases, engineering existing variants into the donor genome is an optimal path, as that path provides strong confidence within the final result with minimal risk to the animal.”
The dire wolf genome has protein-coding substitutions in three essential pigmentation genes: OCA2, SLC45A2, and MITF, which directly impact the function and development of melanocytes. While these variants would have led to a light-weight coat in dire wolves, variation in these genes in gray wolves can result in deafness and blindness. The team subsequently engineered a light-weight coloured coat in Colossal’s dire wolves via a path known to be protected in gray wolves: by inducing loss-of-function to MC1R and MFSD12. These genes influence expression of pigments eumelanin (black) and pheomelanin (red) in melanocytes that deposit to the coat, achieving the lighter pigmented coat color phenotype suggested by the dire wolf genome but with none potential health impacts.
“When I learned of Colossal’s approach to engineering the sunshine coat color into their dire wolves, I used to be concurrently impressed and relieved,” said Elinor Karlsson, associate professor in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology on the UMass Chan Medical School and Director of Vertebrate Genomics on the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, in an announcement. “By selecting to engineer in variants which have already passed evolution’s clinical trial, Colossal is demonstrating their dedication to an ethical approach to de-extinction.”
The path to the dire wolf and the red wolf also led to innovations reaching beyond de-extinction, including advances in ancient DNA genome reconstruction and genotype-to-phenotype prediction, in addition to optimized tools for multiplex gene editing. Another necessary contribution from the project are Colossal protocols to determine cell lines directly from blood that will be used for somatic cell nuclear transfer.
The collection of whole blood is a rapid and noninvasive procedure that’s routinely carried out on sedated wolves for veterinary monitoring purposes. These field collections provide a priceless opportunity to isolate expandable endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), that are cells which are involved in vascular repair and neovascularization and differentiate into the cells that line blood vessels. Isolated EPC cell lines will be frozen for later genomic analyses and, Colossal has now shown, will be used to successfully clone wild canids. Biobanking and cloning EPCs from threatened or endangered populations of untamed wolves provides a security net to preserve the genomic diversity present today from further loss and extinction.
“Whether because of natural or human-induced changes in climate, habitat and food source, the extinction of an untold variety of species is a loss to our planet’s history and biodiversity. Modern genetics lets us peer into the past, and modern genetic engineering lets us recuperate what was lost and might yet thrive. Along the way in which, it invents the tools that allow us protect what remains to be here. As humans we’ve got a novel capability and moral obligation to steward the earth for the good thing about ourselves and all living things, for now and for the long run,” said Alta Charo, Professor of Law and Bioethics and Colossal Bioethics Lead, in an announcement.
A step forward for red wolf recovery
The technology developed throughout the Colossal de-extinction pipeline has immediate applications for conservation efforts globally. The research undertaken to birth the dire wolf has been successfully paralleled to the birth of two litters of the red wolf.
Colossal’s two litters of red wolves include one female and three males from a complete of three different cell lines. Colossal generated the cell lines, collected from the southwest Louisiana population, using its novel approach to insolating EPCs following a typical blood draw. The pups were born after somatic cell nuclear transfer right into a donor oocyte followed by embryogenesis and embryo transfer right into a surrogate mother. Both embryo transfers resulted within the birth of healthy red wolf pups.
“In a world where humans are rapidly eroding the environment, species (especially wolves) need allies. One of probably the most impactful ways to be an ally is to make use of science to assist discover and preserve lost genes, genetic diversity, and phenotypes. We now have the technology that may edit DNA to extend resilience in species which are facing extinction or to revive extinct genetic diversity and species. We get to witness the de-extinction of the dire wolf, which is a marvel of scientific progress, and just the beginning of diverse species we will bring back to create a greater, more habitable, and balanced world. I’m beyond thrilled that such technologies are also being leveraged to support programs of stopping extinction in endangered species just like the red wolf,” said Bridgett von Holdt, Princeton associate professor of Evolutionary Genomics and Epigenetics.
Currently listed as critically endangered, fewer than 20 red wolves remain in North America, which makes them probably the most endangered wolves on the planet. Thousands of red wolves once roamed across most of eastern North America. But by 1960 they were nearly extinct. The Endangered Species Act and a captive breeding program have been critical to securing the reintroduction of red wolves back into the wild in eastern North Carolina.
The Fish and Wildlife Service’s Red Wolf Recovery Program successfully grew the wild population to greater than 120 wolves. When this system was halted in 2015, nevertheless, the population crashed to as few as seven wolves. In 2021 this system resumed, but red wolves have struggled to regain their numbers. One challenge has been to take care of genetic diversity among the many captive and re-wilded population of red wolves, all of which descend from only 12 founder individuals. Adding Colossal’s red wolves to the captive breeding population would increase the variety of founding lineages by 25%.
“The dire wolf project is surreal and unreal at the identical time. It’s recreating reality that stemmed from reality, from millennia ago. To think that in at the present time dire wolves aren’t just mythical illusions and tales told in movies that we imagine could have had origins in point of fact…Now, we’ve got the science and ingenuity to bring life back to once existing reality. Colossal is drastically changing the prognosis for countless endangered species world wide,” said Aurelia Skipwith, former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, in an announcement. “The company’s work to combat extinction of the red wolf creates hope for thus many other critically endangered species fighting for survival.”
The research program for the dire wolf has also helped efforts to develop technologies for the red ‘ghost’ wolf, unique canids, found only on the gulf coast of Texas and Louisiana who carry lost DNA and biodiversity of the red wolf. Researchers Bridgett vonHoldt of Princeton University and Kristin Brzesk of Michigan Technological University lead the Gulf Coast Canine Project which goals to grasp the genetic ancestry of the wild canines persisting along the Gulf Coast of the United States. They study how red wolf ancestry shapes morphology and behavior, and the support of Colossal has helped them speed up their research through the inclusion of information from the red wolf genome, the assembly of a reference genome for the recovery population’s red wolves, and eventually the creation of a pangenome for US native canids.The hope is that this work can set precedent for other species with a sophisticated genetic history, while also improving the capability of conservation efforts for the red wolf, today.
In addition to the challenges of reintroduction, the red wolf’s biggest threat of extinction comes from limited genetic diversity that resulted from the population’s bottleneck that occurred during its rapid decline. The technology and understanding developed through Colossal’s red ‘ghost’ wolf project has now unlocked additional genetic diversity and red wolf ancestry that is usually a resource to create a genetic rescue program for the red wolf population.
“The extinction crisis is an enormous, mostly unattended, and growing worldwide problem. I applaud Colossal for taking daring and progressive steps to arrest and reverse the crisis by developing leading edge genetic techniques to undergird reintroduction efforts of imperiled species. By collaborating with Dr. vonHoldt on red wolf recovery, Colossal creates potential to extend the genetic diversity of this species which exists only due to a captive population founded by a paltry 14 individuals. Perfecting genomic tools to integrate “ghost alleles” from Gulf Coast canids would increase red wolf genetic diversity and generate knowledge for recovering other imperiled species, just like the bolson tortoise, which are compromised by restricted ranges and reduced genetic diversity.”- Mike Phillips, Director of the Turner Endangered Species Fund and project lead for rewilding gray wolves within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
From conservation to rewilding
Colossal’s long run goal is for his or her red wolves to be re-wilded through current US conservation efforts in collaboration with the US government.
“Colossal’s successful de-extinction of the dire wolf represents an enormous coup for conservation,” said Matt James, Colossal’s Chief Animal Officer and Colossal Foundation Executive Director. “The technologies developed on the trail to the dire wolf are already opening up recent opportunities to rescue critically endangered canids. The creation of less-invasive sampling tools similar to our EPC blood cloning platform allows for the conservation community to ramp up biobanking efforts of those species on the brink.”
Colossal’s de-extinction mission at all times includes plans to rewild associated species in alignment with global conservation efforts. Research suggests that rewilding wolves can have massive impacts on aspects that drive climate change and support biodiversity. Inspired by the US Fish and Wildlife’s daring efforts to rescue the red wolf from the brink of extinction, Colossal has created technological platforms to supply key tools to those within the fight to save lots of the world’s most endangered wolf.
“Today’s dire wolf announcement represents an exciting scientific step and demonstrates the facility and possibilities of genetic technologies,” said Barney Long, Phd, Senior Director of Conservation Strategy for Re:Wild. These technologies will likely transform the conservation of critically endangered species that also exist, and we’re excited to use them to forestall extinctions. From restoring lost genes into small, inbred populations to inserting disease resistance into imperiled species, the genetic technologies being developed by Colossal have immense potential to greatly speed up the recovery of species on the point of extinction.”
Colossal will provide more information in regards to the rescue of the red wolf and restoration of the dire wolf in the approaching months following extensive feasibility studies, monitoring, and tracking of the health and well-being of the brand new species.
“As someone who’s fascinated with canids—I’ve written about coyotes and wolves—the thought of having the ability to have dire wolves again is tremendously, personally exciting, and I feel it’s going to be exciting to numerous people. An organization like Colossal, to me, is considered one of the things that provides me hope. If I were looking 100 years out, I’d say that we’re very more likely to have animals once more that we thought were at all times gone—just as I once thought I used to be never going to get to listen to a wolf howl… That was something I actually never thought I’d have a probability to experience, and it became reality. And so, that makes me think that increasingly, we’re going to get to experience what Henry David Thoreau lamented back within the 1850s—that he wasn’t attending to experience a whole heaven and a whole Earth. And I feel that’s something to look ahead to.” – Dan Flores, A. B. Hammond Professor Emeritus of the History of the American West on the University of Montana-Missoula
Partnerships
The effort to de-extinct the dire wolf, genetic rescue of the red wolf, and progressive gray wolf conservation programs are all made possible through Colossal’s collaborative work with a broad spectrum of Indigenous communities, conservation organizations, and scientific experts.
Colossal prolonged its deepest gratitude to the MHA Nation, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Karankawa Tribe of Texas, Indigenous Led, and the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative, whose ancestral knowledge and insights have guided the corporate’s efforts. Colossal Biosciences and the Colossal Foundation also thank the numerous conservation organizations whose expertise and fervour fuel these initiatives, including the American Wolf Foundation, Re:wild, Conservation Nation, Gulf Coast Canid Project, International Coexistence Network, Wolf Connection, Grizzly Systems and the Yellowstone Wolf Project.
Colossal was founded by emerging technology and software entrepreneur Ben Lamm and world-renowned geneticist and serial biotech entrepreneur George Church, and is the primary to use CRISPR technology for the needs of species de-extinction. Colossal creates progressive technologies for species restoration, critically endangered species protection and the repopulation of critical ecosystems that support the continuation of life on Earth. Colossal is accepting humanity’s duty to revive Earth to a healthier state, while also solving for the long run economies and biological necessities of the human condition through cutting-edge science and technologies. To follow along, please visit: www.colossal.com.
