“Wooly Mice” A Test Run for Mammoth Gene Editing
The creation of wooly mice with long fur through simultaneous gene editing marks a significant milestone in the quest to bring back the woolly mammoth. This achievement focuses on the technical aspect of editing multiple genes at once, which is crucial for making significant changes to the elephant genome. The goal is to one day edit out the genetic traits that distinguish elephants from mammoths.
- This breakthrough demonstrates the potential for gene editing to rapidly evolve complex traits in a model organism like the mouse, paving the way for more ambitious projects aimed at de-extinction.
- What are the implications of using mice as an intermediate step towards editing genes in elephants, and how might this approach influence our understanding of species evolution?