Woolly mammoths? Mars? Let’s take care of what we’ve got
LAST WEEK, science delivered a really cute experimental result. Researchers created a “colossal woolly mouse,” a fluffy rodent that’s purported to be a step on the way to resurrecting woolly mammoths from the age of dinosaurs. But that project — along with Elon Musk’s obsession with establishing a colony on Mars — makes me wonder: Wouldn’t the enthusiasm and resources be better devoted to protecting the animals and planet we already have?
Colossal Biosciences, Inc., a Texas-based startup, provided details in a paper earlier this month, which hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed. Each mammouse — forgive me — had seven genes altered to give it an abundance of golden fluff and an altered fat metabolism. The mice will be observed to see if they’re better adapted to cold temperatures. The company’s aim is to genetically modify Asian elephants to express woolly mammoth traits; the mice offered a comparatively easier way to test the impact of the proposed tweaks. But some scientists are skeptical about whether this really brings us closer to creating a living woolly mammoth.
“Colossal’s team made a number of genetic changes… that are already known to produce longer, thicker, wavier — or woollier — coats in mice,” Tori Herridge, a senior lecturer at the University of Sheffield, said in an e-mailed comment. “A mammoth is much more than just an elephant in a fur coat. It isn’t yet known which sections of the genome are vital for achieving the characteristics needed to make an elephant fit for life in the Arctic Circle.”
Why bother in the first place? Colossal says it’s focused on “de-extinction,” with projects aimed at raising mammoths, dodos, and thylacines (also known as Tasmanian tigers) from the dead. The motivations for each species seem to vary — the modern dodo would be “a symbol of hope,” according to the company’s website, while the mammoth is billed as a “vital defender of Earth” for its role as an ecosystem engineer in the Siberian steppe. By grazing the grassland and trampling snow cover, the theory is that heavy herbivores could protect the permafrost and stop it releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases.
Colossal also points to another crisis of our times: “The rapid and accelerating loss of our planet’s biodiversity.” We’re in the middle of the sixth mass-extinction event in Earth’s history; this time, we only have ourselves to blame. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, more than 46,300 species — almost a third of all assessed species – are threatened with extinction thanks to threats such as global warming, habitat loss, invasive species, and overexploitation. Yet the gap between current biodiversity finance and future needs has widened to $942 billion, according to BloombergNEF.
The money being devoted to reanimating dead species might better be spent on conservation efforts for the long-suffering animals we have left. Reinserting extinct species back into their old ecosystems does nothing to avert the threats we’ve created. Mammoths would be returned to an Arctic that’s warming four times faster than the rest of the planet. Thylacines, which only went extinct in 1936 when the last of the species died in a zoo, would still likely face persecution from sheep farmers, competition with wild dogs and habitat loss. There are also ethical issues — cloning often results in unnecessary animal suffering, such as miscarriage, early death, and genetic abnormalities.
Colossal says it’s on track to introduce the first mammoth calves in 2028. Even if these babies are healthy, a long journey looms to create a genetically diverse herd that could be released into the wild. An elephant’s gestation period is 22 months, and they take upwards of a decade to reach sexual maturity. The potential environmental gains from reincarnating mammoths won’t be realized for many, many years; solutions with nearer-term benefits are desperately short of funding.
In many ways, Colossal’s endeavors remind me of Musk’s plans to inhabit Mars. Sure, there are arguments in favor of transporting humans to the red planet, including scientific exploration, new economic frontiers and creating a planetary backup for when we stuff things up irredeemably here. But Musk estimates creating a self-sustaining city on Mars would cost several trillion dollars, and take decades. Consider what we might achieve if that money was spent on our climate-change obligations at home, allowing our livable and beautiful planet to thrive.
Of course, the journey matters as well as the destination. Colossal also aims to produce breakthroughs for animals alive today and is working on a mRNA vaccine for elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus, the biggest killer of Asian elephant calves in managed care and a threat to wild populations. One of the greatest threats to biodiversity is the loss of genetic diversity, and Colossal’s work could help there, particularly in species like the northern white rhino, which has just two living females left.
Perhaps the real problem isn’t the ambition to bring back the mammoth, but the fact that it takes a novel, sci-fi-esque mission to sufficiently excite investors to raise $435 million in total funding and give a conservation-minded startup a valuation of $10.2 billion.
Humans should strive to achieve things that are hard, not just easy. But peering into the past and looking too far beyond our planetary boundaries risks forgetting that what we already have is remarkable — and that saving it would be the greatest achievement of humanity thus far.
BLOOMBERG OPINION
