Scientists trying to bring back the extinct woolly mammoth are pinning their hopes on a much, much smaller animal.
According to The Guardian, a biotech company called Colossal Biosciences has been working to “de-extinct” the woolly mammoth by genetically modifying Asian elephants. Before that, though, its researchers have successfully genetically modified mice to grow woolly hair.
“It does not accelerate anything but it’s a massive validating point,” says Colossal co-founder Ben Lamm.
The Guardian notes that the research has not yet been peer-reviewed and some are skeptical that woolly mice will lead to woolly mammoths.
“As it is, we have some cute-looking hairy mice, with no understanding of their physiology, behavior, etc,” says Robin Lovell-Badge, of London’s Francis Crick Institute. “It doesn’t get them [the researchers] any closer to [knowing] if they would eventually be able to give an elephant useful mammoth-like traits and we have learned little biology.”