The woolly mammoth has been extinct for 4,000 years, but you might see one ALIVE within the next five years! Scientists have successfully created mammoth-elephant hybrid embryos using CRISPR gene editing and preserved mammoth DNA.
Colossal Biosciences has inserted mammoth genes for cold tolerance, fur density, and fat storage into Asian elephant DNA. The result is a creature that's 99.6% mammoth genetics but can be carried by an elephant surrogate mother.
The first "mammophants" are expected to be born in 2028. These creatures will look, act, and survive like mammoths but will technically be genetically modified elephants with mammoth characteristics.
The goal isn't just scientific curiosity—these mammoth-like creatures could help combat climate change by restoring grasslands in the Arctic tundra. Their grazing patterns could prevent permafrost melting that releases massive amounts of greenhouse gases.
Other de-extinction projects are already further along: the Tasmanian tiger might return by 2027, and passenger pigeons could fill American skies again by 2030.
We're not just witnessing the return of extinct species—we're participating in the reversal of extinction itself.