Jun 22, 2026 · 2 min · 3 segments
If you believe the old cartoons, elephants are afraid of mice. But would a woolly mammoth be afraid of a woolly mouse? We may soon find out. That’s because scientists have recently used gene editing…
Scott TinkerHost
That's because scientists have recently used gene-editing tools to tweak the mouse genetic code, adding genes from wooly mammoth DNA.
The wooly mouse is the first step toward the de-extinction of the wooly mammoth itself.
For that, the scientists will have to edit more genes in an embryo of the Asian elephant, the mammoth's closest living relative, then gestate that embryo in the womb of an elephant.
Others worry that de-extincted animals may struggle in modern climates or invasively outperform existing animals.
That's because scientists have recently used gene-editing tools to tweak the mouse genetic code, adding genes from wooly mammoth DNA.
The wooly mouse is the first step toward the de-extinction of the wooly mammoth itself.
For that, the scientists will have to edit more genes in an embryo of the Asian elephant, the mammoth's closest living relative, then gestate that embryo in the womb of an elephant.
Others worry that de-extincted animals may struggle in modern climates or invasively outperform existing animals.
Every episode on Radar is fully transcribed, speaker-labeled, and rich with metadata. Here is a taste of this one. Try Radar for free to see the rest.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
All 3 segments — the transcript broken into labeled sections, every ad read marked
All 25 topics — jump to every other episode discussing the same subject
Every related episode — other shows Radar links to this one
No account is needed to search Radar.
