At SXSW, Ben Lamm, CEO of Colossal Biosciences, made a bold case for de-extinction—using genetic editing to revive lost species. While he reassured the audience that the company has no plans for a real-life Jurassic Park, Lamm argued that humanity has an ethical duty to restore species lost due to human activity.
Colossal’s De-Extinction Projects
Woolly Mammoth: Aims to produce hybrid calves by 2028 and reintroduce them to the Arctic tundra.
Dodo Bird & Tasmanian Tiger: Developing gene-editing techniques to bring these species back.
Gene-Edited “Woolly Mouse”: A proof-of-concept experiment validating mammoth-related genetic edits.
Big Money, Big Vision
$10.2B valuation, with hundreds of millions in VC funding.
Spinout companies focused on synthetic biology applications, with a third one yet to be announced.
Believes there are “billions to be made” from re-wilding species and carbon sequestration.
The Future of Synthetic Biology & AI
Lamm sees AI, computing, and synthetic biology as the most “dangerous” yet transformative technologies.
Predicts breakthroughs in cancer cures, plastic removal from oceans, and engineered food plants.
Believes “longevity escape velocity” (extending human lifespans indefinitely) will be achieved within 20 years.
Public Sector & Global Bio Vaults
Quarterly meetings with U.S. government agencies, with some government investment in Colossal.
Advocates for a “Manhattan Project-scale” initiative to store genetic material of endangered species in bio vaults.
In talks with an unnamed country interested in backing up species data.
Lamm closed with a vision of “true dominion over life”, where humans can bring back lost species, eradicate invasive ones, and engineer life for survival.