Scientists working to bring back the woolly mammoth have created genetically engineered mice that they say have several features of the extinct ice age giant.

The biotech company Colossal Biosciences has long aspired to bring back the extinct woolly mammoth, which roamed the Northern Hemisphere thousands of years ago, during the last ice age. But for now, as a step along the way, the company has come up with something decidedly less mammoth: meet the woolly mouse.

Scientists at biotech company Colossal Biosciences were able to produce genetically modified mice, a successful feat in their ongoing conservation and de-extinction efforts.

The mice were created by Colossal Biosciences, which edits DNA for species conservation, and has been working to bring back the woolly mammoth since 2021.

As part of their ambitious goal to bring back the woolly mammoth by 2028, Colossal Biosciences has created what they've named the "Colossal woolly mouse". By pinpointing gene families linked to mammoth woolliness,

Using DNA and genomics technologies, scientists have modified the mice to have longer, thicker hair and an altered metabolism expected to allow them to tolerate colder temperatures, Colossal Biosciences said.

Scientists hoping to bring back woolly mammoths create woolly mice

Scientists Create Woolly Mice. Next up is the Mammoth That Went Extinct Around 4,000 Years Ago Animals belonging to past periods always invite fascination, like dinosaurs and woolly mammoths. A company went one step ahead in its fascination when it decided to resurrect some of these beings,