Strange science: US company unveils 'woolly mice' with long, golden mammoth-like hair

On March 4, Texas-based company Colossal Biosciences showed the world a strange but undeniably cute creation: "woolly mice". The rodents have long, thick, golden-brown coats and curly whiskers.

Scientists first identified genetic differences between the woolly mammoth and its closest living relative, the Asian elephant. They then edited several genes in mice to give them mammoth-like traits in hair length, texture and colour.

Because mice have a short gestation period, the work took only about six months. The company says the woolly mouse is the first living animal engineered to show several mammoth-like traits at once.

Colossal's real goal is to bring back something like the woolly mammoth, which died out thousands of years ago. It hopes to produce the first elephant calf with mammoth traits by the end of 2028.

Several scientists were cautious. They said it has not yet been shown that the mice cope better with cold, and that doing the same in elephants will be far harder than in mice.