Scientist creat a new “wooly mouse” by using wooly mammoth dna with lab mice

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To create the woolly mouse, Colossal said it had identified genetic variants in which mammoths differed from their closest living relative: the Asian elephant. The company’s scientists then pinpointed 10 variants related to hair length, thickness, texture, color and body fat that corresponded to similar, known DNA variants in a lab mouse. For example, scientists targeted a gene known as FGF5 (fibroblast growth factor 5), which targets the cycle of hair growth, creating longer, shaggy hair. They also altered the function of three genes related to hair follicle development and structure to create woolly hair texture, wavy coats and curled whiskers, the company said in a news release. Other target genes included MC1R (melanocortin 1 receptor), which regulates melanin production, in order to produce mice with golden hair rather than the usual dark fur and a variant associated with changes in body weight. In total, the team made eight edits simultaneously, using three cutting-edge techniques, to seven mice genes.

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