The Real Business Behind De-Extinction: Why Billionaires Are Betting on Woolly Mammoths

TechWhy This Startup Is Bringing Back The Woolly Mammoth

TL;DR

Colossal Biosciences, valued at $10.2 billion, is using synthetic biology to de-extinct the woolly mammoth by 2028, but the real investment thesis is the biotechnology infrastructure and genetic programming capabilities developed along the way, not the mammoth itself.

Key Takeaways

1Colossal Biosciences reached a $10.2 billion valuation in under 4 years with $615 million in total funding by positioning de-extinction as a climate solution through rewilding mammoths to restore Arctic grasslands and preserve permafrost containing 1.4 trillion tons of carbon.
2The woolly mammoth being developed is technically a genetically edited Asian elephant with mammoth genes inserted into its DNA, not a true mammoth, highlighting that Colossal's value is in the synthetic biology capabilities, not the animal itself.
3Co-founders Ben Lamb and Dr. George Church discovered that elephant TP53 tumor suppressor genes were too aggressive for gene editing, requiring them to develop new methods to regulate p53 that could eventually have human medical applications far beyond de-extinction.
4The investor base includes Hollywood storytellers like Thomas Tull (Legendary Entertainment, founder behind Jurassic World and Interstellar) alongside celebrities Paris Hilton, Tom Brady, and the Hemsworth brothers, suggesting the venture operates as much on narrative appeal as scientific merit.
5A CIA-affiliated investment firm identified Colossal's real strategic value not as climate impact but as unlocking capabilities in building materials, crop enhancement, disease curing, and preventing extinction—suggesting biosynthetic technology infrastructure is the actual target.
6Colossal has announced de-extinction projects for multiple species including the dodo bird, Tasmanian tiger, and direwolf, with the company already claiming to have de-extincted the direwolf in 2025, creating momentum through regular announcements.
7The mammoth project parallels historical moonshots like the space race, which generated GPS, artificial limbs, and memory foam as side technologies—suggesting mammoth de-extinction may generate unforeseen biotech breakthroughs worth the $10.2 billion investment.

Notable Quotes

“Strategically, it's less about the mammoths and more about the capability.”
— Colossal investor

“We've actually had to figure out how to regulate p53 and turn it down so we can edit the cells, turn it back up so then we don't have, you know, cancer-induced mammoth.”
— Ben Lamb

“There's absolutely nothing that says putting mammoths out there will have any effect on climate change whatsoever.”
— Dr. Lovvie Dalian

“If you give them that range, that capability, that would be a completely different world.”
— Ben Lamb

Chapters

1. Discovery of Yuka and the De-Extinction Mission

In 2010, hunters discovered Yuka, a 40,000-year-old woolly mammoth in northeastern Siberia. Colossal Biosciences, founded in 2021 with $15 million in seed funding, aims to de-extinct the woolly mammoth by 2028 using Yuka's DNA and synthetic biology techniques.

2. The Rise of Colossal Biosciences

Colossal reached a $10.2 billion valuation in under 4 years and has raised $615 million total. Beyond the mammoth, the company announced projects to bring back the dodo bird, Tasmanian tiger, and claimed to de-extinct the direwolf in 2025.

3. Synthetic Biology and Dr. George Church

Dr. George Church, a Harvard scientist who helped launch the human genome project, pioneered synthetic biology—engineering tools to redesign living organisms. Ben Lamb's cold call pitch about mammoths helping sequester Arctic carbon led Church to co-found Colossal in 2021.

4. The Climate and Rewilding Argument

Colossal claims that reintroducing mammoths to the Arctic could restore grasslands and preserve permafrost containing 1.4 trillion tons of carbon, reducing CO2 and methane release. This rewilding concept, called reing, is central to Colossal's pitch to investors.

5. Scientific Skepticism and Climate Claims

Dr. Lovvie Dalian, a paleogeneticist who sits on Colossal's advisory board, initially told CNN in 2021 that 'there's absolutely nothing that says putting mammoths out there will have any effect on climate change whatsoever.' Multiple climate experts have publicly criticized Colossal's climate impact claims.

6. The Technical Reality: Modified Elephants, Not True Mammoths

Colossal's woolly mammoth is technically a genetically edited Asian elephant with mammoth genes inserted into its DNA, not a true mammoth. The direwolves are genetically edited grey wolves, sparking debate about the authenticity of de-extinction claims.

7. The Hidden Value: Biotechnology Capabilities

One investor stated the value is 'less about the mammoths and more about the capability.' A CIA-affiliated investment firm memo identified that Colossal could unlock capabilities in building materials, crop enhancement, disease curing, and extinction prevention.

8. The TP53 Breakthrough and Human Medical Implications

Colossal discovered that elephant TP53 tumor suppressor genes were too aggressive for gene editing, requiring the company to develop new methods to regulate p53. This breakthrough in controlling cellular death mechanisms could have major human health applications beyond de-extinction.

9. Celebrity Investors and Storytelling Strategy

Colossal's first major investor was Thomas Tull, founder of Legendary Entertainment, who produced Jurassic World, Interstellar, and The Dark Knight. Subsequent investors included Paris Hilton, Tom Brady, the Hemsworth brothers, Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, and Lord of the Rings filmmakers.

10. The Moonshot Model and Future Prospects

Like the space race, which generated GPS and memory foam as side technologies, Colossal's mammoth project may generate unforeseen biotechnology breakthroughs. The company promises a mammoth birth by 2028 and continues producing de-extinction announcements like short films to maintain public interest.

Key People & Entities

Ben Lamb: Serial entrepreneur who co-founded Colossal Biosciences with Dr. George Church; spent over a decade building software and AI companies before pivoting to de-extinction.
Dr. George Church: Harvard scientist and father of synthetic biology; helped launch the human genome project and pioneered gene editing tools; co-founder of Colossal Biosciences.
Dr. Lovvie Dalian: Swedish paleogeneticist who extracted RNA from Yuka in 2025 and sits on Colossal's scientific advisory board; initially skeptical of the company's climate claims.
Thomas Tull: Founder of Legendary Entertainment and Colossal's first major investor; produced Jurassic World, Interstellar, and The Dark Knight.
Colossal Biosciences: De-extinction startup valued at $10.2 billion with $615 million in total funding; aims to revive woolly mammoths, dodos, Tasmanian tigers, and other extinct species.

Glossary

Synthetic Biology: Engineering discipline that redesigns and modifies living organisms at the DNA level to achieve specific outcomes, rather than simply studying life.
De-extinction: The process of reviving extinct species by using preserved ancient DNA and genetic editing technology to recreate or reconstruct the organism.
Permafrost: Soil, rock, or sediment that remains frozen year-round, particularly in Arctic regions; contains vast amounts of carbon that releases methane and CO2 when it melts.
Rewilding (Reing): The restoration of wildlife and natural habitats through the reintroduction of species to ecosystems where they historically thrived.
TP53: A tumor suppressor gene found in multiple copies in elephants that destroys damaged cells before they become cancerous, which creates challenges for genetic cell editing.
Peto's Paradox: The observation that larger animals with more cells should have higher cancer rates, yet animals like elephants remarkably get very little cancer.
Beringia: A massive land shelf that connected Alaska and Siberia during the ice age when sea levels were lower; historically known as Mammoth Steppe where mammoths thrived.

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