In 2025, Colossal Biosciences announced that it had successfully managed to de-extinct dire wolves, as made popular by the fantasy HBO series Game of Thrones. Since then, the trio, Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi, have been thriving and Colossal set out to save even more species.
This time, it will create its own version of Noah’s ark with the UAE’s help. In a new revelation at the World Governments Summit on Feb. 2, Colossal announced the creation of the first Colossal BioVault and World Preservation Lab. The upcoming preservation lab will be permanently housed at Dubai’s Museum of the Future. The Crown Prince of Dubai, Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, also announced the news on social media.
The initiative also featured a temporary preview of the World Preservation Lab and Colossal BioVault exhibition on-site at the Summit.
Of course, as highlighted in previous pieces covering Colossal’s ambitious science projects, this doesn’t come cheap. As one can imagine, creating a modern version of Noah’s Ark filled with extinct species comes with a high cost, and the Colossal BioVault and World Preservation Lab is a nine-figure initiative in the UAE.
On top of that, the UAE led an initial investment of $60 million in the company as part of its expansion of Series C funding, bringing the total capital raised for Colossal to $615M.
The nine-figure deal also comes as revenue for Colossal’s license to the underlying cryogenic and reanimation platform.
“I believe the future belongs to those who harness technology and innovation to address our greatest challenges,” said Museum of the Future Executive Director Majed Al Mansoori.
The statement acknowledged that, “By working with Colossal Biosciences, leaders in synthetic biology and conservation, we are taking a bold step to advance science that safeguards our planet, restores ecosystems, and builds a sustainable legacy for future generations.”
The announcement argues that the need for a Preservation Lab comes since almost half of Earth’s species could face extinction, threatening biodiversity, human well-being, and global economic stability by 2050. The lab helps provide secure, collaborative, and scalable backup system to preserve life on Earth.
The Colossal BioVault will provide:
- House the Cradle of Life: Protect over 10,000 species and hold more than a million samples, focusing initially on the world’s 100 most imperiled species
- Genetic Diversity Mapping: Collect multiple samples from species to capture population-wide variation
- Open Data Initiative: Share data openly by making all non-proprietary information available to scientists worldwide
- Global BioVault Network: Build a global network of Colossal BioVaults across multiple countries, safeguarding endangered and keystone species, starting in Dubai and the UAE
- Advance Genomic Research: Build high-quality reference genomes for understudied species
- Redundant Backup System: Establish secure storage with redundant backup sites around the world
- Advance the Mission: Invite visitors to take part in the mission, becoming co-custodians of biodiversity, citizen scientists and advocates for its future
Khaleesi Just Celebrated Her First Anniversary
After nearly 12,500 years of extinction, Colossal Biosciences managed to bring back dire wolves. The first ones were Remus and Romulus, and they celebrated their first anniversary on Oct. 1. Their younger sister, the first female dire wolf, was three months younger.
On Jan. 30, Colossal officially confirmed that Queen Khaleesi celebrated her first birthday. The official Instagram account shared a series of photos with the loveable dire wolf, from her first days, to her current adult state. “She’s growing fast. She’s still very much in her adolescent era, but she’s already catching up to her brothers, who turned one back in October. Blink and you’ll miss it.”
