Colossal Biosciences i Muzej budućnosti u Dubaiju pokreću Colossal BioVault — kriogenu banku genetskog materijala koja će prvo čuvati uzorke 100 najugroženijih vrsta. Cilj je izgraditi globalnu mrežu sa više od 1.000.000 uzoraka za preko 10.000 vrsta, uz primenu robotike i veštačke inteligencije. Projekat je deo devetocifrenog programa u koji je UAE uložio 60 miliona dolara i dolazi nakon što je Colossal uspešno proizveo tri jedinke divovskog vuka pomoću drevne DNK.
Colossal BioVault: „Savremeni Nojev Kovčeg” genetskog materijala dolazi u Dubai
Colossal Biosciences —the genetic engineering company working to bring backthe woolly mammothand other animals that have long been extinct —used ancient DNA to birth three dire wolves, an animal that went extinct 13,000 years ago, the Texas-based company revealed in apress releaseearlier this year. Now, the wolves are celebrating their first year on Earth. Look back at their growth and story.Here, the first two dire wolves born are shown at one month old. See their growth.
Teksaška biotehnološka kompanija Colossal Biosciences, poznata po radu na povratku vunastog mamuta i nedavnoj reprodukciji divovskih vukova, najavila je pokretanje Colossal BioVault — kriogene banke genetskog materijala koja će biti smeštena u okviru novog World Preservation Lab u Muzeju budućnosti u Dubaiju.
Šta je Colossal BioVault?
Prema objavi na Svetskom samitu vlada u Dubaiju (3. februar), BioVault će prvo čuvati tkivne uzorke 100 najugroženijih vrsta. Cilj u kasnijim fazama je izgradnja globalne mreže biobanka: više od 1.000.000 uzoraka koji pokrivaju preko 10.000 vrsta. Uzorke će se kriogeno čuvati, a upravljanje će obuhvatati naprednu robotiku i nadzor pomoću veštačke inteligencije.
Kako je Colossal došao do ideje?
Colossal navodi da je fokus na ovakvom projektu usledio delom zbog razgovora sa predstavnicima MHA naroda (Mandan, Hidatsa i Arikara) iz Severne Dakote, koji su istakli značaj očuvanja vukova i kulturni kontekst te teme. Ben Lamm, suosnivač i izvršni direktor Colossala, opisuje BioVault kao "rezervni plan za život na Zemlji" — distribuiranu mrežu za čuvanje biološkog materijala.
De-extinkcija i primer divovskih vukova
Colossal je ranije ove godine objavio da je pomoću rekonstruisane drevne DNK proizveo tri jedinke divovskog vuka: Romulusa i Remusa (rođeni 1. oktobra 2024.) i Khaleesi (rođena januar 2025.). Istraživači su prvo rekonstruisali genom divovskog vuka iz drevnih uzoraka (među kojima su zub star oko 13.000 godina pronađen u Ohaju i lobanja stara ~72.000 godina), zatim su uređivali genom sivog vuka da bi izrazio određene osobine divovskog vuka i implantirali oplođene embrione u surogat majke — ženke domaćih pasa.
Gde žive vukovi i kako se nadgledaju?
Divovski vukovi borave u Colossalovom zaštićenom ekološkom rezervatu većem od 2.000 jutara (acres), koji je sertifikovan od American Humane i registrovan pri Ministarstvu poljoprivrede SAD. Njihova dobrobit nadzire se uživo kamerama, sigurnosnim timom i dronovima.
Finansiranje i geopolitički kontekst
Projekat Colossal–UAE finansira se devetocifrenom inicijativom. UAE je uložio 60 miliona dolara u Colossal, ulaganje usmerio prestolonaslednik šeik Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a kompanija navodi da je to povećalo poslednju rundu finansiranja na ukupno 615 miliona dolara. U tekstu se takođe navode širi politički i bezbednosni detalji o odnosima UAE i SAD, uključujući razmenu tehnologija i izveštaje o poslovnim vezama koje su predmet interesa medija.
Moguće primene i etička pitanja
Colossal odnosno BioVault navodi nekoliko mogućih upotreba: očuvanje genetske raznolikosti ugroženih vrsta, podrška reproduktivnim programima i teoretski alati za de‑ekstinkciju vrsta koje su nestale. Projekat podiže i brojna etička, pravna i bezbednosna pitanja — od prioriteta očuvanja biološke raznolikosti do međunarodne saradnje i kontrole tehnologije.
Ukratko: Colossal BioVault je ambiciozan, tehnički sofisticiran i finansijski podržan pokušaj da se stvori globalna "rezervna kopija" biodiverziteta, ali istovremeno zahteva transparentnost, međunarodnu regulaciju i javnu diskusiju.
Napomena o ispravci: Ranija verzija teksta netačno je navodila iznos ulaganja UAE u Colossal; tačan iznos je 60 miliona dolara.
Dire wolves Romulus and Remus are now 1-year-old. They were born Oct. 1, 2024.Ahead of their birthday, the wolves were treated to a custom-made cake from Mishka Luxury Dog Boutique in San Francisco.
Dire wolves Romulus and Remus are now 1-year-old. They were born Oct. 1, 2024.
The dire wolf Remus partakes of his birthday cake.
Colossal researchers implanted surrogate dog mothers with fertilized dire wolf eggs to bring Romulus and Remus into the world. They first created a dire wolf genome and then edited the gray wolf genome to express specific traits of dire wolves.
Shown at 15 days old are two male dire wolves, Romulus and Remus, born by surrogate dog mothers from fertilized and implanted genetically-edited eggs with the ancient DNA of dire wolves.
Remus, a male dire wolf, relaxes. He was born Oct. 1, 2024.
CEO of Colossal Ben Lamm said their team took DNA from a 13,000 year old tooth, found in Ohio, and a 72,000 year old skull to produce the healthy dire wolf puppies.Wolves became a focus at Colossal after a meeting withThe MHA (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara) Nationin central North Dakota. While talking with the tribal leaders about research on buffalo and bison conservation, "they told us there's not enough going into wolf conservation," Lamm said, and began discussing the dire wolf and wolves' importance to generations of Native Americans.The dire wolf is a symbol that "carries the echoes of our ancestors, their wisdom, and their connection to the wild,” said MHA Nation Tribal Chairman Mark Fox in a statement. “Its presence would remind us of our responsibility as stewards of the Earth – to protect not just the wolf, but the delicate balance of life itself."
The dire wolves live on Colossal's 2,000+ acre secure expansive ecological preserve, which is certified by the American Humane Society and registered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.The wolves are continuously monitored through on-site live cameras, security personnel, and drone tracking to ensure their safety and welfare.
Romulus and Remus, two male dire wolves, were born from fertilized dire wolf eggs implanted into and born by surrogate dog mothers. Here they are one month old in November 2024.
"I think for me the most exciting thing about this project is that shows how we can use cutting edge technologies in molecular biology to help protect and preserve populations of animals that are at risk of extinction today," Elinor Karlsson, the director of vertebrate genomics at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT and a geneticist who's a member of Colossal's advisory board, told USA TODAY.
Romulus at five months old. Using the genetic data, researchers could confirm the gray wolf as the closest living relative of the dire wolf – they share 99.5% of their DNA code.
Khaleesi, the third dire wolf birthed by the biotech firm, was born in January 2025. She was named after the "Game of Thrones" character.
A custom-made cake from Mishka Luxury Dog Boutique in San Francisco for the male dire wolves' first birthday.
Romulus and Remus at about three months old."They are super friendly because we've raised them ... (chief animal officer) Matt (James) bottle fed them when they were just young pups. But they are starting to come into their own, where they're acting more and more like wolves."
Remus is seen at five months old.
Romulus and Remus, two male dire wolves, snack on a birthday cake. They were born Oct. 1, 2024.
People attend the opening ceremony for the Museum of the Future, in the gulf emirate of Dubai, on February 22, 2022.
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