A Marvel Star Just Invested Millions To Bring The Woolly Mammoth Back By 2028
It’s not every day you hear about a superhero trying to bring an extinct species back to life—but here we are. In a storyline that feels equal parts sci-fi thriller and environmental gamble, one of Hollywood’s biggest names is stepping into the world of genetic resurrection. And no, this isn’t for a movie role. It’s real. It’s funded. And it’s aiming to reboot creatures that vanished thousands of years ago.
From woolly mammoths to dodos, this ambitious project has its eyes set on 2028 as the year the past makes a comeback. But why now? Who’s behind it? And should we be cheering—or concerned? Let’s unravel what’s really going on behind this viral headline.
Why Hemsworth is All In
Chris Hemsworth is no stranger to saving the world—on screen, at least. But now, he’s trading in his cinematic superheroics for something far more unpredictable: helping resurrect extinct species. And it’s not just a symbolic endorsement. Hemsworth has put his money where his mouth is, becoming a high-profile investor in Colossal Biosciences, the biotech company behind the de-extinction mission.
So why would a Hollywood A-lister get involved in something that sounds ripped from a sci-fi script? Part of it may be Hemsworth’s well-documented passion for nature and wildlife. Known for his environmental advocacy and deep love for Australia’s natural landscapes, Hemsworth has often used his platform to speak up about climate change and conservation. Supporting the revival of the woolly mammoth may seem like a leap—but in the eyes of investors like Hemsworth, it’s also about innovation, legacy, and redefining what it means to protect life on Earth.
Image Credits: Instagram @chrishemsworth
Of course, he’s not alone. The project has also attracted attention from other unexpected corners—like Paris Hilton and Tony Robbins—turning what started as a high-tech biology initiative into a curious blend of science, celebrity, and spectacle. But Hemsworth’s involvement lends a particularly interesting angle: it blurs the line between pop culture influence and scientific ambition, raising the question—can celebrity investment help fuel real change, or is it just a flashy distraction?
How It’s Actually Happening
Forget fossilized bones in museums—this isn’t about studying the past. It’s about resurrecting it. At the heart of this wild-sounding mission is Colossal Biosciences, a Texas-based biotech company co-founded by entrepreneur Ben Lamm and renowned Harvard geneticist Dr. George Church. Their goal? To make de-extinction not just possible, but practical.
Using advanced CRISPR gene-editing technology, Colossal is working to splice and replace sections of DNA from extinct species with the DNA of their closest living relatives. For the woolly mammoth, that relative is the Asian elephant. Scientists are identifying genes that once allowed mammoths to thrive in cold climates—like thick fur, fat storage, and cold-resistant blood—and are editing those into elephant DNA to create a hybrid that could walk and survive in similar conditions.
This isn’t cloning in the Jurassic Park sense—there’s no single frozen mammoth being revived. Instead, it’s about engineering a new, living organism that functions like its extinct ancestor, often referred to as a “proxy species.” These edited embryos are then implanted into surrogate mothers—elephants for mammoths, and other bird or marsupial species for the dodo and Tasmanian tiger.
The tech is no longer theoretical. Colossal has already raised over $235 million to fund this research, and the company claims they’re on track to deliver a living, breathing woolly mammoth by 2028. While skeptics remain, the lab coats behind the scenes are dead serious—and so are their timelines.
Mammoths, Dodos, and Tigers—Oh My
The woolly mammoth might be stealing the spotlight, but it’s far from the only extinct icon on Colossal’s to-do list. The biotech company has cast a wide net in its mission to rewrite extinction—and it’s going after some of the most legendary species to ever vanish from the planet.
The Woolly Mammoth
Once roaming the icy plains of the Arctic, woolly mammoths were a vital part of the Ice Age ecosystem. These shaggy giants died out around 4,000 years ago, likely due to a mix of climate change, overhunting, and disease. By reviving the mammoth, scientists hope not only to bring back an awe-inspiring creature, but also to restore balance to Arctic ecosystems by promoting grassland growth and reducing carbon-trapping moss.
The Dodo
The dodo has become the poster child for extinction—thanks largely to human interference. This flightless bird, native to Mauritius, was hunted to oblivion by the 1600s. Its revival could be a symbolic reversal of one of humanity’s first ecological crimes, and Colossal is using pigeon DNA as the dodo’s modern stand-in.
The Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacine)
The striped marsupial known as the Tasmanian tiger was officially declared extinct in 1982, though rumors of sightings persist in the Australian wilderness. Smaller and more manageable than a mammoth, the thylacine has the shortest gestation period of the bunch—which makes it the likely frontrunner in the resurrection race. Some scientists believe it could be back before the mammoth ever takes its first breath.
Each species is a scientific experiment, conservation effort, and ethical tightrope walk rolled into one. And while the Jurassic Park comparisons are inevitable, these aren’t just vanity projects—Colossal claims each revival has ecological purpose.
Why 2028? The Timeline and Roadmap to Revival
For starters, elephants—the mammoth’s closest living relative—have one of the longest gestation periods in the animal kingdom, clocking in at about 22 months. Factor in the time required for embryo creation, gene-editing, and successful implantation, and suddenly that 2028 target feels… tight, but plausible. Scientists are already deep into the gene-splicing phase, carefully integrating mammoth traits into elephant DNA in a way that creates a viable, cold-resistant hybrid.
The Tasmanian tiger, however, could beat the mammoth to the spotlight. With a much shorter gestation period—just weeks rather than months—this striped marsupial may be the first to make its comeback. The dodo, requiring avian surrogates and an entirely different approach, is slightly further down the line, but still well within the scope of the 2028 window.
Behind the scenes, Colossal is simultaneously building the infrastructure for what comes next: artificial wombs, ethical review boards, and habitat planning. The company isn’t just aiming to “make a mammoth”—they’re aiming to make de-extinction replicable, scalable, and ideally, beneficial to today’s ecosystems.
Who’s Behind the Mission
The powerhouse behind the mission is Colossal Biosciences, co-founded in 2021 by Ben Lamm, a tech entrepreneur with a taste for moonshot ventures, and Dr. George Church, a Harvard geneticist widely regarded as one of the founding figures in synthetic biology. Church’s name carries serious scientific weight—he helped pioneer the CRISPR gene-editing revolution and has long championed the idea of de-extinction as a way to reverse ecological damage.
Colossal isn’t operating out of some fringe lab—it’s backed by over $235 million in funding from a mix of venture capital, biotech firms, and yes, a few headline-grabbing celebrities. But make no mistake, this isn’t a vanity project. The company is building a full-blown genetic engineering platform, with applications far beyond just reviving lost species. Their work could eventually influence fields from conservation biology to pandemic prevention.
To add credibility, Colossal has assembled a multidisciplinary dream team: biologists, geneticists, bioethicists, conservationists, and engineers all working under one roof. And while the woolly mammoth might be their most famous target, their mission statement is broader—”to combat biodiversity loss through radical innovation.”
They’ve even committed $50 million to a conservation foundation, aiming to protect species currently teetering on the edge—like the northern white rhino. In that sense, Colossal isn’t just about looking back. It’s also trying to rewrite the future of conservation itself.
Should We Be Doing This?
First, there’s the welfare of the animals themselves. What kind of life will a lab-created mammoth have? Will it live in isolation? Can we replicate the social structures these animals once relied on? Bioethicists warn that creating sentient creatures without a suitable environment—or community—could be a form of cruelty disguised as progress.
Then there’s the ecological risk. Even if a mammoth-like hybrid is successfully brought to life, introducing it into modern ecosystems could trigger ripple effects we’re not prepared for. We’ve seen this movie before—literally and figuratively—and it rarely ends well. Environmentalists point out that resources spent on resurrecting extinct species could instead support existing conservation efforts for animals still clinging to survival.
There’s also a philosophical dimension to all of this. Does bringing a species back really undo extinction, or is it creating something entirely new—a genetic facsimile, not a resurrection? And what precedent does this set? If humans can edit the past, what’s stopping us from customizing the future?
Proponents argue that de-extinction could be a powerful tool to right historical wrongs and replenish damaged ecosystems. But even among those who support the idea, there’s a consensus: this science demands deep ethical scrutiny, long-term planning, and global dialogue. Because when it comes to reversing extinction, the stakes are as high as the ambition driving it.
Celebrities, Conservation, and Controversy
When Chris Hemsworth, Paris Hilton, and Tony Robbins all end up on the same biotech investor list, you know something unusual is going on. Colossal’s de-extinction project isn’t just a science story—it’s a pop culture phenomenon in the making. But the celebrity involvement has sparked just as much controversy as it has curiosity.
On one hand, high-profile endorsements bring global attention and major funding. With public figures attached, media outlets are far more likely to cover the story, and private investors are more willing to write big checks. In that sense, celebrities are acting as amplifiers, helping shine a spotlight on groundbreaking science that might otherwise be buried in academic journals.
But there’s a fine line between spotlight and spectacle. Critics argue that the celebrity angle risks trivializing a deeply complex and ethically charged mission, reducing nuanced conservation science to flashy soundbites and influencer content. When you’re talking about reviving extinct species, some believe it should be about stewardship, not star power.
Then there’s the risk of “greenwashing with glitter.” Are these celebrities genuinely invested in ecological impact—or just aligning themselves with a trendy cause that looks good on a résumé? The answer varies, and transparency is limited. Hemsworth’s environmental track record lends some credibility, but other names attached to the project have raised eyebrows.
Still, the marriage of science and celebrity isn’t going anywhere. If anything, it may be the new norm. In an age where awareness is currency, and innovation moves at the speed of influence, it’s no longer just about who’s doing the science—it’s also about who’s selling the story.
Where Science Meets Spectacle—and What Comes Next
The idea of resurrecting extinct animals like the woolly mammoth sounds like a sci-fi fever dream—but as this article shows, it’s rapidly becoming a real-world pursuit, backed by big brains, big money, and even bigger names. Chris Hemsworth may be better known for battling CGI villains, but in this case, he’s helping fund a mission that’s taking aim at one of nature’s greatest villains: extinction itself.
Still, this is more than a feel-good story about redemption through science. It’s a window into where technology is headed—and who gets to steer the ship. With the clock ticking toward 2028, we’ll soon see whether Colossal’s ambitions are grounded in progress or just chasing headlines. What’s clear is that the ethical, environmental, and cultural implications of de-extinction are far from settled.
In the end, the return of the mammoth—or the dodo or the Tasmanian tiger—might not just be a triumph of science. It could become a mirror, reflecting back the choices we’ve made, the legacies we’re trying to rewrite, and the kind of future we’re brave (or bold) enough to imagine.