Resurrecting dire wolves is just the beginning for Colossal Biosciences’ Ben Lamm

Masters of Scale

WaitWhat

Business, Jeff Berman, Startups, Reid Hoffman, Management, Diversity & Inclusion, Mindset, Bob Safian, Entrepreneurship

4.6 • 4.4K Ratings

🗓️ 23 December 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this encore episode of Rapid Response, we revisit a scientific breakthrough that set the internet ablaze: The ‘de-extinction’ of the dire wolf. While many celebrated Colossal Biosciences’ announcement, the experiment also sparked controversy throughout the scientific community — namely the ethics of birthing and re-wilding extinct animals, and whether Colossal’s dire wolf puppies are the real thing. Colossal’s co-founder and CEO Ben Lamm joined host Bob Safian to take us inside the dire wolf journey, revealing how the startup attracted a roster of celebrity investors, and what the company’s technology means for not only conservation and biodiversity, but potentially the future of human health.

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1:22.7	Hi, everyone. As we head toward the end of 2026. We're delighted to share one of our favorite rapid
1:29.3	response episodes of the year, recorded back in the spring, but as timely and forward-focused as
1:35.2	ever. It's about the storybook-like resurrection of the long, extinct dire wolf with the CEO of
1:41.7	Colossil Biosciences Ben Lamb.
1:45.2	Enjoy it.
1:50.9	If people don't know what a dire wolf was, it wasn't just in Game of Thrones.
	...

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