The Colossal company plans to genetically engineer woolly mammoths.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Bioscience company Colossal said that the genetic engineering technology CRISPR could be used to revive mammoths that were extinct in the Holocene epoch. Tech entrepreneur and geneticist Ben Lamm on Monday (13/0) launched a new biotech company which the company will revive hairy mammoth which has become extinct.
Colossal, a bioscience company in partnership with Harvard geneticists, claims the CRISPR genetic engineering technology could be used to revive animals that became extinct during the Holocene epoch, more than 11,000 years ago.
“Never before has humanity been able to harness the power of this technology to rebuild ecosystems, heal our Earth and preserve its future through extinct animal populations,” Lamm said in a statement.
One of the efforts to overcome the challenges of climate change?
Renowned geneticist and Harvard University genetics professor George Church, who is also the company’s co-founder, said Colossal took advantage of the exponential advances made in technology to read and write DNA. Then, apply it to iconic ecological conservation and carbon sequestration issues.
Scientists have managed to find mammoth tusks, bones and fur to try to sequence the animal’s DNA. This DNA would then be inserted into the mammoth genome to form the “elephant-mamot hybrid,”.
Colossal said so far it has managed to raise 15 million US dollars (Rp 210 billion) from investors. Those who support the project say the process of “reviving” the woolly mammoth could help humans gain new knowledge about biology, evolution and technology.
sumber : DW
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