Mad Scientists Want To Bring Back An Extinct Antelope
Colossal Biosciences, the company that claims it can reverse extinction, announced it has taken steps to restore the bluebuck antelope, which was native to Africa and vanished from the planet around 200 years ago.
The biotech firm—with its $10 billion valuation and a nightmare blunt rotation of investors that includes Peter Thiel, Tom Brady, and Paris Hilton—extracted DNA from a bluebuck specimen from the Swedish Museum of Natural History in 2024. Now, people in white lab coats who probably get cornered at parties when they mention their jobs are cooking up new bluebucks in a lab.
However: The scientific community says that Colossal technically isn’t bringing back extinct species; it’s creating new hybrids by editing them into the modern genome of a similar animal.
Applications for the living: CEO Ben Lamm said that the reason for revealing the company’s bluebuck work now is because the technology could be used to preserve endangered antelope species, of which there are 29 in the world.
What’s next: The bluebuck’s original habitat is likely gone, so Colossal is partnering with nonprofit Advanced Conservation Strategies to find potential new host countries. The company is also collaborating with private landowners and governments to create a reintroduction plan.—DL
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