2025-04-17 · auto-analysis (draft)
Why This Billionaire Is Bringing Back the Dire Wolf, Woolly Mammoth & More w/ Ben Lamm & Salim | 165
The podcast discusses the scientific and business aspects of deextinction projects, focusing on the dire wolf and the technological advancements involved. The speaker discusses the importance of teamwork, persistence, and thorough media preparation in pursuing a moonshot project, using the deextinction project as an example. Challenges and successes are highlighted, including the launch of direwolves and red wolves, and the project's impact on conservation efforts. The conversation covers de-extinction efforts, including the challenges of working with ancient DNA, the use of synthetic biology, and the long-term goals of Colossal Biosciences. The podcast discusses future technologies like synthetic biology, health and wellness solutions, and theoretical projects such as building self-healing underwater cities. The podcast discusses the feasibility and cost of bringing back extinct species
Topics
Deextinction Biotech ▶ 0:00
Genome Engineering Biotech ▶ 4:00
Scientific Controversy Geopolitics ▶ 2:00
Business Model Economy ▶ 7:00
Entrepreneurship Other ▶ 9:24
Persistence Other ▶ 10:00
Deextinction Project Biotech ▶ 9:18
Media and Public Relations Other ▶ 9:40
De-extinction Biotech ▶ 17:08
Colossal Biosciences Biotech ▶ 17:43
Ancient DNA Biotech ▶ 20:43
Science and Innovation Science ▶ 19:09
Biotech Biotech ▶ 25:33
Genetic Engineering Biotech ▶ 28:07
Predictions made
open Ben Lamm: By the end of 2026, the world's first mammal birth fully ex uterine will occur.
“by the end of 2026, um, we will have the world's first mammal birth fully exuter.”
Your call:
open Unknown: The project will be viewed positively 50 years from now.
“I think that if you're doing a moonshot, you just have to be looking like I think about Colossal 50 years from now.”
Your call:
open Unknown: You have to think on a 50-year horizon for de-extinction projects.
“So, if you get great press on day one, which we did, and you get crazy press on day two, that's okay. Those are two days in a 50-year journey.”
Your call:
open Unknown: Editing and delivery of genetic material will become exponentially easier with future advancements.
“I think that the editing the comp bio is scaling quite well, right?”
Your call:
open Unknown: Eventually, full chromosomes will be synthesized.
“I think that we will be able to synthesize uh eventually full chromosomes”
Your call:
open Unknown: By the end of 2026, the world's first mammal birth fully ex vivo will be achieved, starting with an elephant.
“But our vision for that once again goes back to conservation because imagine a world where you can grow 200 genetically diverse northern white rhinos in a lab...”
Your call:
open Unknown: Synthetic biology will eventually lead to the cure of most diseases and epigenetic cell resetting.
“I think that we will be able to cure most disease states. I think that we will be able to do epigenetic cell resetting.”
Your call:
open Unknown: Building self-healing underwater cities is a future project.
“one of the more weirder ideas out there was we've talked a lot about if you just look at the surface of the earth, we could do a lot of cool things and you'd have to it would force you to build, you know, very sustainably uh uh cities underwater.”
Your call:
open Unknown: The company will eventually be able to bring back the stellar sea cow, but currently lacks the technology to grow it in artificial wombs.
“I would love to do the stellar sea cow. Amazing.”
Your call:
open Unknown: Recovery of species can be done in less than three decades for $70 million, compared to 23 years and $300 million.
“Um, and so it's not just the third 300 million. It's like that could go to more recovery efforts or education or water or whatever.”
Your call:
open Unknown: Gene drives could be used to control invasive species in Australia, leading to the extinction of cats in the wild.
“introduce gene drives where that cat eats it instead of it's not poison, it doesn't die, it has an offspring, so it does have another generation, but that offspring cannot give rise to more offspring.”
Your call:
open Unknown: Quantum technology will be a game changer for genetic editing simulations and predictions.
“It's going to take quantum, it's going to take AI before we can truly understand it for all life.”
Your call:
Numbers that matter
- 0.15%
- 15
- 10.2 billion
- 59 mammoth genomes
- 1.2 million years
- 13x
- 35 KB or 30KB
- 100 KB
- 17
- 1 billion quadrillion
- 20-25
- $100 million
- 62%
- $300 million
- $70 million