Playing God or Saving Nature? Gene Editing, Artificial Wombs & the Return of Extinct Species | Ben Lamm PT 1

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Impact Theory

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4.7 • 5.1K Ratings

🗓️ 13 May 2025

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this thrilling installment of Impact Theory, Tom Bilyeu sits down with Ben Lamm, visionary founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, a company on a mission to reverse extinction and rewrite the future of conservation and synthetic biology. Ben and Tom dive deep into the mind-bending world of de-extinction, synthetic gene editing, and how the CRISPR revolution is not only unlocking the secrets of life—but also actively engineering it. In Part 1, get ready for a rollercoaster of concepts as Ben explains the technical magic behind gene editing, DNA synthesis, and multiplex genome editing. From the birth of the woolly mouse to the debated revival of dire wolves, Ben reveals the breakthroughs, challenges, and wild stories behind reviving extinct species. You’ll learn how Colossal is using advanced computational biology, AI, and hands-on bioengineering to not only bring animals back but also reshape the future of healthcare, genetics, and ethical decision-making. This is part sci-fi, part practical science, and 100% mind-blowing. SHOWNOTES 00:00 – Kicking Off: The Mysteries of Editing Life 00:14 – Emergence of the CRISPR Revolution 01:31 – What Is DNA Synthesis and Multiplex Editing? 03:47 – The Woolly Mouse: Engineering Traits Across Species 07:54 – Breaking Down the Process: IVF, Screening, and Sequencing 09:24 – Mapping Genotype to Phenotype and Its Challenges 12:10 – Targeting Gene Edits: From Theory to Application in Health and Conservation 17:09 – From Hair Organoids to Building Mammoth Traits in Mice 24:41 – The Quest for a Universal Egg and Overcoming Cellular Barriers 26:17 – Artificial Wombs: The Next Frontier in Conservation and Science 31:12 – Scaling Conservation and Bridging to Human Healthcare FOLLOW BEN LAMM Twitter/X: @federallamm LinkedIn: Ben Lamm CHECK OUT OUR SPONSORS ButcherBox: Ready to level up your meals? Go to ⁠https://ButcherBox.com/impact⁠ to get $20 off your first box and FREE bacon for life with the Bilyeu Box! Vital Proteins: Get 20% off by going to ⁠https://www.vitalproteins.com⁠ and entering promo code IMPACT at check out Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at ⁠https://shopify.com/impact⁠ Netsuite: Download the CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning at ⁠https://NetSuite.com/THEORY⁠ iTrust Capital: Use code IMPACTGO when you sign up and fund your account to get a $100 bonus at ⁠https://www.itrustcapital.com/tombilyeu⁠ Mint Mobile: If you like your money, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at ⁠https://mintmobile.com/impact.⁠ DISCLAIMER: Upfront payment of $45 for 3-month 5 gigabyte plan required (equivalent to $15/mo.). New customer offer for first 3 months only, then full-price plan options available. Taxes & fees extra. See MINT MOBILE for details. What's up, everybody? It's Tom Bilyeu here: If you want my help... STARTING a business: join me here at ZERO TO FOUNDER SCALING a business: see if you qualify here. Get my battle-tested strategies and insights delivered weekly to your inbox: sign up here. ********************************************************************** If you're serious about leveling up your life, I urge you to check out my new podcast, Tom Bilyeu’s Mindset Playbook —a goldmine of my most impactful episodes on mindset, business, and health. Trust me, your future self will thank you. ********************************************************************** LISTEN TO IMPACT THEORY AD FREE + BONUS EPISODES on APPLE PODCASTS: apple.co/impacttheory ********************************************************************** FOLLOW TOM: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tombilyeu/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tombilyeu?lang=en Twitter: https://twitter.com/tombilyeu YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TomBilyeu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.8	Amazon offers term time working to their employees, like Anton,
0:07.4	who's home to look after his daughters during their holidays.
0:10.0	Hello!
0:10.8	To him, this is the best sound in the world.
0:17.2	Actually, maybe that's the best sound of all. Now that's term time working.
0:22.6	Offered at Amazon.
0:24.6	10 weeks off guaranteed per year.
0:26.6	Mix of paid holiday and unpaid time off.
0:28.6	Conditions apply.
0:29.6	We're entering into an era where life itself is editable.
0:33.6	One company has already brought back the genetic code of extinct animals.
0:38.3	They've resurrected DNA that hasn't walked the earth in over 10,000 years, not as science
0:44.1	fiction, not as metaphor, as living organisms engineered, grown, and born.
0:50.4	Their founder isn't a biologist, he's a tech entrepreneur, and his team is using the same tools, machine learning, CRISPR, synthetic biology to build something we've never had before. The power to rewrite evolution. Today's guest is Ben Lamb, the CEO of colossal biosciences. His company just unveiled the world's first genetically engineered dire
1:12.1	wolves. But this conversation isn't really about animals. It's about what happens when
1:16.1	the interface to biology becomes a computer. It's about what we design next. I bring
1:22.0	you Ben Blam. Life seems so complex, so mysterious.
1:28.3	How is it possible that we can manually edit it?
1:32.3	Is there a specific breakthrough that's made it possible for you guys to de-extinct animals?
1:38.3	If you look at the DNA twisted ladder that everyone thinks of when they think of DNA,
1:43.3	to be able to
1:44.4	edit one individual wrong and either knock something out or, you know, eventually even to change those
	...

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