914: Ben Lamm | Resurrecting the Woolly Mammoth

Synthetic Biology

Synthetic biology is opening new frontiers in genetic modifications, with potential applications extending beyond species resurrection. Ben Lamm discusses the possibility of gene editing to enhance human radiation tolerance, a concept explored with advisors like Chris Mason from Cornell, who collaborates with SpaceX and NASA 1. This technology could also be applied to animals, enabling them to adapt to changing environments by altering their genetic makeup, such as making them resistant to toxins or climate changes 2. Lamm highlights the potential of gene drives to empower nature to solve ecological problems, like enabling the endangered quo to resist the toxins of invasive cane toads in Australia 3.

We could let nature help fix the problems that we created themselves.

--- Ben Lamm

   

Species Preservation

Genetic engineering holds promise for preserving species diversity and recreating biodiversity. Ben Lamm explains how Colossal Biosciences aims to bring back extinct species like the woolly mammoth by integrating mammoth DNA into Asian elephants, creating hybrid species that can thrive in cold climates 4. This approach not only revives extinct species but also enhances genetic diversity in endangered populations, such as the northern white rhinos 5. The focus on the woolly mammoth is strategic, as it allows the development of technologies that could also benefit existing species, like elephants, by addressing diseases such as EEHV, which is a major threat to their survival 6.

Working on the mammoth kind of gives you an excuse to build all these technologies which can help elephants.

--- Ben Lamm