Project aims to revive woolly mammoth to tackle climate change

The startup Colossal Biosciences hopes to use DNA from Asian elephants and DNA extracted from frozen woolly mammoths in the Arctic tundra.

Using gene editing technology, they will attempt to re-configure the genome of an Asian elephant until it resembles a woolly mammoth.

It's currently working on creating an artificial womb to grow a woolly mammoth calf.

The project hopes to release mammoth-elephant calves into the Arctic by 2027.

The goal is to revive the Arctic Tundra and the Mammoth Steppe ecosystem.

Colossal's website says the mammoth's "massive size, thunderous gait and vast migration patterns were active benefactors in preserving the health of the Arctic region".

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The loss of this species over 10,000 years has "stripped this ecosystem of the grasslands that once efficiently absorbed carbon."

"Instead, there are mossy forests and wetlands, which aren't as helpful with combating rising temperatures."

"Re-establishing an ecosystem filled with grasslands will help to create a cycle that prevents the thaw and release of stored greenhouse gases within the arctic permafrost."

The project's other goals include saving modern elephants from de-extinction.