This week, the world met the woolly “mammouse”—a genetically engineered mouse with woolly mammoth hair. The scientists at Colossal Biosciences who created it think it’s a promising step toward their goal of recreating the woolly mammoth.

The biotech company Colossal Biosciences has long aspired to bring back the extinct woolly mammoth, which roamed the Northern Hemisphere thousands of years ago, during the last ice age. But for now, as a step along the way, the company has come up with something decidedly less mammoth: meet the woolly mouse.

The journey to the woolly mouse began with the woolly mammoth. Scientists at Colossal examined more than 100 genomes of Asian elephants and woolly mammoths. They lined up those genomes side by side and compared them to find the parts which are crucial for making a mammoth.

De-extinction company Colossal mixed mammoth and mouse mutations in a single strain to create a shaggy-haired rodent.

US company Colossal Biosciences has announced the creation of a "woolly mouse"—a laboratory mouse with a series of genetic modifications that lead to a woolly coat. The company claims this is the first step toward "de-extincting" the woolly mammoth.

The little rodents' genes were edited to exhibit traits associated with a woolly mammoth genome—including fluffy, dirty-blonde fur.

The de-extinction company Colossal Biosciences wants to bring back the woolly mammoth—starting with a very furry mouse.

Using DNA and genomics technologies, scientists have modified the mice to have longer, thicker hair and an altered metabolism expected to allow them to tolerate colder temperatures, Colossal Biosciences said.

It's been 4,000 years since the woolly mammoth roamed the Earth, but could this extinct species make a comeback? Some scientists in Texas say they're working on it and they're going to use mice to do it.