More than 4,000 years have passed since the last mammoth (mammoth) disappeared from the earth.
However, if a group of scientists is right, it may be less than four years before these gentle giants once again take to the North American plains.
Ben Lamm, chief executive officer and founder of Colosar Biosciences, said he was "sure" that the first mammoth cubs would be born by the end ·of 2028.
Still, introducing any species back into the wild is risky, and Ram says even his team's scientists aren't 100 percent sure what will happen when the mammoth returns.
The reporter spoke to Ram about why his plan for "Jurassic Park" was so important and why he was so convinced it was a good idea.
How do you bring a mammoth back to life?
"I like to think of what we're doing as Jurassic Park in reverse," Ram told him.
In the classic movie, scientists resurrect dinosaurs by extracting ancient DNA from amber and using frogs' genes to patch gaps in dinosaur DNA.
But unlike those fictional scientists, the researchers at Colosa Biosciences are actually doing the opposite.
"We're not taking the mamoth DNA and filling in the gaps, we're trying to genetically engineer the lost mammoth into the Asian elephant," Ram said. ”
Asian elephants share 95% similarity to the mammoth's genome and are actually more closely related to African elephants than these extinct giants.
By understanding the specific differences between the mammoth and its closest biological relative, scientists at Colosar Biosciences say they have identified several "target genes."
These genes are essentially differences in biological programs that determine whether an organism forms an elephant or a mammoth.
Thanks to advances in gene editing technology, such as CRISPR, scientists can now insert these target genes directly into the DNA of modern elephants.
For example, they can extract the ancient gene that makes mammoths produce hair and give that gene to Asian elephants.
"You can think of DNA as a twisted ladder, where each little rung is a base pair," Ram said. ”
"We were able to change every rung of the ladder, but now we also have the ability to engineer new rungs that we want to exist."
The resulting elephant-mammoth hybrid DNA can be used to create "pluripotent stem cells" – cells that have the potential to transform into any tissue.
These cells are then induced to become sperm, eggs, and even viable embryos containing the genetic program required to become mammoths.
Scientists hope to insert these artificial embryos into Asian elephants in order to gestation them to term, eventually giving birth to a live mammoth.
When was the first mammoth born?
"We have set a timeline for the birth of the first mammoth cubs by the end of 2028, and we are currently working in that direction," Ram said.
Despite the challenges of the project, Lam said he was "optimistic" that the company would be able to meet its self-imposed deadlines.
The company has sequenced the mammoth genome and found a way to produce pluripotent stem cells.
All that's left is the gene editing process, where the target mammoth gene is added to the elephant DNA.
However, Ram told that the mammoth may not be the first creature to be resurrected.
The company is also trying to resurrect the dodo, which became extinct in the 1600s, as well as the Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine.
Since Tasmanian tigers and dodos have a much shorter gestation period, their path to resurrection is likely to be much faster.
Ram will not say which extinct creature will be the first to be resurrected, but he added: "I don't know if the mammoth will be the first project to be completed." ”
What are you going to do with these mammoths?
"It's funny that people sometimes ask, 'What do you do when you have a successful mammoth?' ’”
"But we're still in the prologue stage, and we're not even in the first chapter yet. The real work will begin after we have them. ”
"Our goal, real success, is to create genetically diverse, matable populations in order to establish sustainable populations in the wild."
In fact, Ram's vision of Colossal's biological sciences has more to do with the practice of modern conservationists releasing beavers in United Kingdom than Jurassic Park.
"I see all of these projects as rewilding projects," Ram said.
Of course, releasing any animal into the wilderness requires a lot of land – something that is surprisingly hard to come by, Ram says.
Ram told the company had had "early conversations" with northern states in the United States, including Alaska, as well as Canada, about potential mammoth habitat.
Similarly, the company is looking for locations for the release of dodos in Mauritius and the release of thylacines in Tasmania.
However, Ram said we need to wait until later next year to finalize the first resurrection habitat.
How do you know it's safe?
No one is really worried that the running mammoths and dodos will start attacking tourists, but that doesn't mean Colosa Biosciences' project is risk-free.
More than 5,000 years have passed since the last mammoth disappeared from North America, and in that time, the environment has become very different.
The introduction of any new species into the environment has the potential to upset the balance of ecosystems, and we have no evidence of what happens when a long-extinct species recovers.
As concerns about the risk of invasive species increase, it is natural to question whether resurrected mammoths are really safe for ecosystems.
When asked about these concerns, Ram told, "We have to have the data, and that data has to be collected and measured thoughtfully." ”
"But at the end of the day, some are still models, and I can't say in good conscience that any of the scientists in Colosal or other scientists are able to provide 100 percent accuracy."
However, Ram insists he is not concerned about the risk of reintroducing large mammals, such as mammoths.
"I think we can look at the heavily rewilded agents and see how effective they are," he said. ”
For example, Ram cited cases of the reintroduction of bison in Yellowstone National Park and the United Kingdom.
The study found that the reintroduction of native megafauna led to continued improvements in biodiversity.
Based on these encouraging results, Ram said he believes the resurrected mammoth could have a similar positive impact.
"We believe that, in general, a more diverse ecosystem is a better ecosystem," Ram said. ”
Why resurrect the mammoth?
Ram said the motivation for resurrecting these iconic creatures was in part to "make amends for the sins of the past."
"All the data suggests that early human pressures drove the mammoths to extinction – we eradicated these species," Ram said.
Although the role of humans in the extinction of the mammoth is not as clear as Ram suggests, it is a different story for dodos and thylacines.
Both of these organisms became completely extinct in a very short period of time through overhunting and habitat destruction.
If scientists can restore them to their natural habitat, it could be the first step in correcting humanity's most glaring environmental wrongs.
However, Colosar's focus in biological sciences is not limited to the past.
"There's a huge opportunity to turn our attention to conservation, because if you can set up these systems that work in tandem with ancient DNA, it's much easier to deal with non-ancient DNA," Ram explained.
The company, which is currently valued at £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion), has raised an additional £38 million ($50 million) to launch the Colosa Foundation, which focuses on supporting conservation efforts.
In the face of ongoing threats to biodiversity, Ram said he believes humanity needs a "resurrection kit".
"Species conservation is a systemic issue, and it's no different from software, and in a way, like software, you need to back up all species," Ram said. ”
In Ram's view, the real goal of Colosal's biological sciences is to build a dossier of genetic samples and techniques to ensure that no species needs to be permanently extinct.
The company is already experimenting with the technology developed on mammoths to protect the northern white rhinoceros, which has only two individuals left.
Ram believes the company can create a self-sustaining rhino breeding population with just the few remaining genetic samples.
He concluded: "I don't think Jurassic Park has the right conservation perspective. ”
"It's not just about preserving genes, it's about preserving them in a way that can be exploited to increase genetic diversity."