Table 2 The scenario

On June 1, 2022, the US-based company HELIOS announces that it has created what they call a “living mammoth.” Using genome-editing techniques, the company succeeded in transfering a series of crucial genes found in unfrozen remains of ice-age mammoths into the genome of a closely related elephant species. The animal is now 9 months old and developing well. The researchers expect it to reach an age of 60 to 70 years, just like an elephant. However, the mammoth genes transferred into its genome will allow it to endure much lower temperatures than current elephant species

At the same conference, the company declares that it has signed a contract with government of Russia to release a herd of twelve mammoths on Kolguyev Island near the Russian Arctic National Park, with more to be delivered at a later point in time. The objective of this collaboration, a spokesperson of HELIOS explains, is to gain insight both into the animals’ adaptation to the arctic climate but also to explore their impact on the local environment. Specifically, the researchers hope the mammoths to have a positive impact on permafrost, which has dramatically decreased in the area in the recent decades.