The biotech firm that brought dire wolves back from extinction has unveiled a ‘modern-day Noah’s Ark’ designed to safeguard the planet’s most vulnerable species.
Colossal Biosciences announced on Tuesday a partnership with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to store tissue samples of 100 species in a BioVault at a new World Preservation Lab to be constructed in Dubai.
Species will be chosen based on key criteria, with guidance from conservation partners and authorities like the IUCN, the global expert on protecting the natural world.
The BioVault will safeguard cryogenically frozen genetic material from multiple species to preserve genetic diversity.
Colossal said the facility will be managed using advanced robotics and artificial intelligence for precise monitoring.
The Dallas-based company aims to store over a million samples from more than 10,000 species.
Faced with the possibility that nearly 50 percent of species may disappear by 2050, the BioVault could provide the genetic tools to preserve endangered animals and resurrect extinct ones, Colossal and the UAE said.
Colossal Biosciences co-founder and CEO Ben Lamm said: ‘We are losing species at an alarming rate, and the world urgently needs a distributed network of global BioVaults – a true backup plan for life on Earth.
The BioVault will safeguard cryogenically frozen genetic material from multiple species to preserve genetic diversity. Pictured is Colossal Biosciences co-founder and CEO Ben Lamm
The scientists have likened the BioVault to the biblical story of Noah, who built a massive ark that held a pair of each species, saving them from a catastrophic flood that swallowed all life on Earth.
‘Colossal is now creating the world’s first Colossal BioVault: an unprecedented global resource, a modern-day Noah’s Ark for protecting and restoring life on our planet. We are excited to build on this relationship and pioneer bold new solutions to safeguard biodiversity for generations to come,’ Lamm said.
Colossal made headlines in April 2025 when it announced the first de-extinction of an animal species, reintroducing the dire wolf back into the world.
The company birthed three dire wolves, naming them Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi in honor of the legendary creature made famous from the HBO hit series Game of Thrones.
However, the white-coated wolf once roamed North and South America before vanishing around 12,000 years ago, likely due to the disappearance of their prey.
The team extracted DNA from fossilized remains, which was combined with the genetic code of a gray wolf, the closest living relative.
‘Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies,’ Lamm said at the time.
They then cloned high-quality cell lines using somatic cell nuclear transfer into donor egg cells, which involves taking the DNA out of the cell from a donor – in this case, a body cell.
The scientists have likened the BioVault to the biblical story of Noah, who built a massive ark that held a pair of each species, saving them from a catastrophic flood that swallowed all life on Earth
The embryos were then transferred to a surrogate, who gave birth to the three healthy pups in October 2024.
And Colossal is using the achievement to prepare for future extinctions.
Colossal Chief Animal Officer Matt James said: ‘The BioVault is our commitment to safeguard the present diversity of life and our promise to secure a resilient future.’
The conservation biotechnology partnership between Colossal and the UAE is backed by a nine-figure funding effort, according to the announcement.
The UAE has also committed $60 billion to Colossal through an investment led by Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, bringing the company’s total funding to $615 million.
