The woolly mammoth and Dodo bird are just two of thousands of animals that have gone extinct in the last 10,000 years. Deforestation, climate change and other human impacts have posed a serious threat to animals, and the problem is only getting worse. Around 150 species vanish from Earth every day, but one company is developing tech to revive several animal species in the coming years.
Colossal Biosciences is a Dallas-based company with offices in Austin and Boston that has been developing gene technology and hardware solutions that will enable it to bring back extinct species. Since launching in 2021, the company has made headlines for its goal to bring back the woolly mammoth and Tasmanian tiger from extinction.
This week, Colossal secured $150 million in new funding and announced that it will work to de-extinct the Dodo bird, which went extinct in 1662.
“By gathering the smartest minds across investing, genomics, conservation and synthetic biology, we have the opportunity to reverse human-inflicted biodiversity loss while developing technologies for both conservation and human healthcare,” Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal, said in a statement. “We are honored to be backed by a dedicated and diverse group of investors and are excited to work to bring additional species back to the planet.”
The United States Innovative Technology Fund led the Series B round and several VC firms participated. Prior to this round, Colossal had raised a $60 million Series A round co-led by Thomas Tull and At One Ventures.
According to Popular Mechanics, Colossal aims to bring back the woolly mammoth by 2027. Its revival will be an astonishing accomplishment for gene editing technology and it may benefit the planet’s ecosystem.
