Ross Andersen

a16z Podcast | Making a (Really) Wild Geo-Engineering Idea Real

Sonal Chokshi, Hanne Tidnam, Ross Andersen

Driven by the urgent threat of carbon release from decomposing permafrost, a team led by George Church is establishing Pleistocene Park in Arctic Siberia to rewild the landscape by engineering cold-resistant Asian elephants. This project utilizes CRISPR technology to modify approximately 95 genes in elephants, aiming to replace forests with light-reflecting grasslands that preserve frozen soil, though the initiative still faces a decade-long delay in developing artificial wombs for gestation. While supported by the US National Science Foundation and the Russian government, the endeavor must navigate significant ethical concerns regarding animal social welfare and local socioeconomic challenges, including the potential for poaching in nearby mining communities.