Latest news with #BenLamm
Fast Company
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
‘Lord of the Rings' director Peter Jackson on the storytelling potential of Colossal Biosciences
At first glance, the pairing of Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson and Colossal Biosciences founder and CEO Ben Lamm is a bit odd. When it's onstage at the world's largest gathering of brands and marketers, it gets even more confusing. But Jackson has been a major investor in Colossal since last year, and he and Lamm were at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity to talk to Chaka Sobhani, president and global chief creative officer at ad agency DDB Worldwide, for a conversation that aimed to find common ground in the creative challenge between Middle Earth and IRL. Colossal, of course, made headlines in April for revealing its first de-extinction project, reintroducing the world's first dire wolf in 10,000 years. After the stage presentation, Jackson told Fast Company that Colossal has significant storytelling potential, particularly in sparking interest and engagement on issues like environmental conservation. 'It's stimulating curiosity, that's the most important thing,' says Jackson. I grew up imagining all sorts of things, imagining flying cars, imagining a woolly mammoth. And the phones, social media, and everything else have the danger of deadening imagination. And so I think that this is an opportunity.' Jackson has had some significant input in how Colossal tells its stories. Lamm says that just before the dire wolf announcement, Jackson had a suggestion: 'He told me, 'When you announce this, you need to show the world the dire wolf howls, because it's the first time in 10,000 years anyone's ever heard that.' That just made it so much better.' Lamm says Jackson is an active investor. The director and his wife Fran Walsh invested $10 million into the company in October 2024. 'Peter gives us a lot of advice,' says Lamm. 'Peter connects us to a lot of people in the world, including George RR Martin. Even though he didn't make dire wolves, he made them famous. Peter actually wants to be involved. It's not about writing a check and then move on to the next deal. They're true partners.' Jackson believes the real power is in the company's potential impact on conservation. 'It's not just de-extinction, which is obviously exciting, but it's also conservation,' says Jackson. 'It's saving species that are really endangered now, and using the technology that these guys have developed to create a larger gene pool, for example, the white rhino. There's only two left.' The most common criticism Jackson hears about Colossal is that it should be spending its time and research on currently endangered species instead of de-extinction. 'Well, you can actually do both,' he says. Both Lamm and Jackson say the de-extinction projects are what get people excited and interested in everything else the company does. Come for the dire wolf, stay for the red wolf. In April, Lamm told the Most Innovative Companies podcast that Colossal had cloned four red wolves that will be able to join the 15 left on earth. 'The red wolf project, to me, is as magical as the dire wolf,' he said. Though sometimes even Jackson gets nervous. 'I was nervous about the woolly mouse,' he says. The company spent 2.5 years editing mammoth genes, then applied its work to mice rather than trying to create a creature that has been extinct for thousands of years. 'It's an important part of their research on the way to a mammoth, but I was saying, 'Do you really want to release it to the public?' Because it could play to people's idea of genetic engineering. It's like your Frankenstein. I was nervous about that.' Lamm says the point of the woolly mice was to transparently show the process toward a full woolly mammoth. It's not taking woolly mammoth genes with 200 million years of genetic divergence and ramming it into a mouse. This is part of a gradual road map. 'Peter brought his concerns to me, but we just feel that if we're doing radical things, we still need to be radically transparent,' says Lamm. 'To Peter's point, while some people could be like, 'Oh, why are they making woolly mice?' We thought it was important to educate the public on this is the process of science, and this is also how we ethically get to a mammoth.'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SXSW London: Man hoping to bring dodo and mammoth back to life teases Jurassic Park collaboration
The man working on bringing the dodo and woolly mammoth back to Earth has hinted at the SXSW London event at a collaboration between his bioscience lab Colossal and the Jurassic Park films. The entrepreneur Ben Lamm, founder of Colossal Biosciences, has long been asked about the parallels between his work and the films of Jurassic Park, but has insisted returning the dinosaurs to Earth isn't possible at present due to the lack of available DNA. Dodos and mammoths died out more recently and DNA is available from fossils. Speaking at the SXSW London event in Shoreditch, Lamm teased a future partnership. During a panel discussion with the actor Sophie Turner, Lamm said he was 'very excited about Jurassic Park, and maybe there's future things coming. Not in the dinosaur world, but with those guys.' Lamm has always insisted his 198 employees at Colossal Biosciences are nothing like the fictitious world of Jurassic Park. Speaking to The Guardian earlier this year when asked about the comparison, he said: 'People have to remember that that was a movie, right?' Jurassic World Rebirth, the sixth film in the franchise, arrives in UK cinemas on 2 July. Colossal Biosciences has used genetic engineering processes to bring back to life the dire wolf, an extinct species that lived around 10,000 years ago. The three dire wolves are in a private 2,000-acre ecological preserve somewhere in the US, although the location has not been revealed. They are named Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi, inspired by the TV series Game of Thrones. Also at the SXSW London event, Lamm revealed he hoped to share further news about Colossal's journey to returning the Dodo to Earth this summer. SXSW London features panels and events with entrepreneurs, film-makers, musicians and thought leaders and runs in Shoreditch until 7 June. Mayor Sadiq Khan opened the event, which originated in Texas in 1987, by pitching London as an international AI hub. Read more:
Forbes
05-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Science Of De-Extinction Is Providing Hope For Nature's Future
Younger audiences are becoming increasingly tired with the rhetoric on the horrors of climate change, with research showing that Gen-Z feel that their climate-related concerns are often dismissed by older generations. Enter: Colossal Biosciences, a Texas-based biotech and genetic engineering company working tirelessly to de-extinct several animals and bring hope to the future of nature. Co-founded by entrepreneur Ben Lamm and Harvard geneticist George Church, Colossal Biosciences is tapping into the cultural zeitgeist by not only making bold scientific promises, but by embracing a storytelling approach that resonates with Gen Z. High school students write in asking how they can get involved; college students express inspiration to pursue science because of Colossal Biosciences' work. Their excitement is less about nostalgia and more about agency—about changing the narrative of inevitable loss. 'If history teaches us anything, it's that we shouldn't argue with youth,' Colossal Biosciences CEO Lamm said. 'Progress often begins with what youth culture believes in,' Citing historical youth-led movements, Lamm believes the younger generation is rallying around biotech and conservation innovation. Not only does the company have the backing of Gen-Z, but it has also garnered support from Hollywood's greatest. Peter Jackson, Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, Sophie Turner and George R.R. Martin have all endorsed or invested in Colossal Biosciences. The company is focused on creating a de-extinction toolkit that can act as a fail-safe if the government, conservationists, environmentalists and citizens fail to do what is necessary to protect animal species. By 2050, nearly half of all animal species could be threatened with extinction, which could pose significant impact on the global economy. Colossal Biosciences' mission is to stop or even reverse extinction and, to date, they have announced ambitious projects related to the woolly mammoth, thylacine, dodo and dire wolf. The species selection is driven by an elaborate plan to assist conservationists, environmentalists, governments and organizations all over the world to biobank genetic materials, create resilience in faltering species lines and, if absolutely necessary, recover full species from extinction. 'It goes back to the apathy point in your research that is making everyone feel so hopeless. We need to all be advocating for genetic rescue science to be used and for lots of advancements to be made in order to save species. But, do you know how hard it is to get people to care about progress or the need for progress in genetic science?' Lamm noted. 'Almost impossible. Do you know how easy it is to get people talking about bringing back their favorite ancient pachyderm? Substantially easier,' Lamm explained that he doesn't believe the company's mission can succeed without public support and an interest in and understanding of the new technologies his company is inventing. In early 2025, the company made a breakthrough with the colossal woolly mouse, sharing parts of the woolly mammoth's DNA and proving the scientists' ability to recreate complex genetic combinations that took nature millions of years to create. 'We need to get people excited about saving the planet, so that we have a shot at being able to actually save it. Part of the reason we are working to bring back the woolly mammoth is so that we could get the public to pay attention to genetic science; it's one part: holy s—t how amazing. And one part: you're doing what now?' Lamm explained. 'That combination has allowed us to talk to a lot of people about what we are working on, why it's important for conservation and how they can get involved,' 'It is going to be their planet to care for,' he added. 'We see it as our job to make sure there is something left for them to take care of.'
BBC News
04-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
BBC Learning English - Learning English from the News / Woolly mice: Are woolly mammoths next?
(Photo via Colossal Biosciences) ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ The story Scientists have created a genetically modified mouse that's woolly. The researchers plan to use their woolly mouse to test out other genetic changes before they try to create genetically-altered, mammoth-like elephants in the future. The company, Colossal Biosciences, hope to use the new mammoths in the fight against global warming. Critics say the project is unethical and mainly an attempt to gain publicity. News headlines Woolly mice are a first step to resurrecting mammoths, but there's a very long way to go The Conversation Colossal CEO Ben Lamm says humanity has a 'moral obligation' to pursue de-extinction tech TechCrunch Do not be bamboozled by the new fluffy mouse Key words and phrases resurrect give something life again The actor has been trying to resurrect his career since his last film received terrible reviews. moral obligation a feeling that you have to do something because it is considered to be right I volunteer at a soup kitchen for homeless people – for me, it feels like a moral obligation. bamboozled tricked I got bamboozled by the car salesman and bought a more expensive model than I needed. Next If you like learning English from the news, click here.
TechCrunch
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- TechCrunch
Colossal Labs will release the sounds of dire wolves howling ‘later this year,' founder says
Ben Lamm, the billionaire founder of Colossal Labs, and Sophie Turner spoke about his company's efforts in reviving the long-extinct dire wolf during a panel at SXSW's first London outpost. The wolf re-entered the public consciousness because of the television show 'Game of Thrones,' in which Turner was a leading character. It turns out that even she thought that dire wolves were mythical creatures. 'Were you a fan of 'Game of Thrones'?' Turner asked. 'I was a fan of 'Game of Thrones,'' Lamm said. 'When 'Game of Thrones' came out, which was a while ago, I never thought, 'Oh, by the way, one day we'll make dragons or dire wolves.' Lamm retold the story of how he and his team at Colossal 'brought back' the dire wolf species, which had been extinct for more than 10,000 years. He also provided some updates as to what the company is working on next, including a bio-acoustic project, announced just a few weeks ago. Lamm said his dire wolves started howling at 3 weeks old, responding to human singing and the sounds of owls. The first two, Romulus and Remus, are now around 6 months old. Lamm and his team are looking at ways to use AI to help monitor the behavior of the wolves, identifying patterns of their emotions and 'wolf linguistics,' as he put it. 'What's crazy about it is the dire wolves have their own unique pitch and inflection,' Lamm told the crowd. 'We're going to release that later this year,' he said, referring to a bio-acoustic project, which will map out the different types of dire wolf howls. Techcrunch event Save now through June 4 for TechCrunch Sessions: AI Save $300 on your ticket to TC Sessions: AI—and get 50% off a second. Hear from leaders at OpenAI, Anthropic, Khosla Ventures, and more during a full day of expert insights, hands-on workshops, and high-impact networking. These low-rate deals disappear when the doors open on June 5. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | REGISTER NOW The wolves live on a 2,000-acre preservation in a top-secret location. He referred to the park as 'very Yellowstone.' It has an animal hospital, as well as full-time caretakers and full-time security. The wolves are learning socialization tactics that would help them in the wild. 'They're starting to do some light predation on the preserve,' he said. 'They're becoming more and more true wolf-like every day.' He also said that they are about to officially introduce the two wolves to a newly created dire wolf, a female named Khalessi, who is around 3 months old. The public met Colossal Labs' efforts to 'de-extinct' animals with fascination and skepticism, with the top criticism being that Colossal's dire wolves are merely genetically edited gray wolves. But investors seem quite interested in where Colossal could be headed with its innovation. TechCrunch reported back in March that the company is looking to 'revive' the Tasmanian tiger and the dodo, two other extinct animals. The company announced this year a $200 million Series C at a $10.2 billion valuation and said in March it genetically modified mice to grow mammoth-like fur. (Lamm said it impressively took only a month to do.) Turner did ask Lamm a question that he unsurprisingly gets quite often. 'What about dinosaurs?' she asked. 'Can you bring them back?' He said his company isn't focused on that at the moment, as bringing a dinosaur back is quite complicated, Lamm explained. But later in the conversation, he said there might be a new update coming from Colossal soon. 'I think maybe this summer, there could be a dodo update that's interesting,' he said.
