Entertainment
Scientists accidentally created the cutest mouse in the world
Scientists working to revive the woolly mammoth have accidentally created the cutest mice in the world. Introducing: the Colossal Woolly Mouse. I need at least 10 of these toasted marshmallows in my pocket right now.
Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences announced today that it has created almost 100 living cotton balls by genetically engineering mice to display cold adaptation traits similar to those in woolly mammoths. Such traits include fur which has been significantly altered in colour, texture, and thickness, as evidenced from the prodigious amount of fluff on these squeaky powder puffs.
Yet as cute as these critters are, the Colossal Woolly Mouse’s aggressive adorableness wasn’t the end goal. These mice are just the latest development in Colossal’s quest to “de-extinct” the woolly mammoth. Crucially, the biotechnology company isn’t resurrecting a woolly mammoth from a preserved woolly mammoth cell. Instead, Colossal intends to alter genes from the closely related Asian elephant to create a representative, or proxy, species.
How Colossal created the cutest mice to ever exist
Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences
To create the woolly mice, Colossal began by analysing 121 mammoth and elephant genomes, including those for Asian and African elephants. Comparing the genomes, the scientists identified the core mammoth genes which they believed were responsible for cold-adaptation traits such as fat metabolism and fur.
Colossal then refined this list to just 10 related genes related to fur and metabolising fat which were also compatible with mice, and used gene editing to modify seven of them in the rodents.
“Since there is more than 200 million years of genetic divergents from woolly mammoths to mice, we decided to look for similar pathways and edits in similar genes to ensure that the edits we were going to make in our our woolly mice would be compatible with life while driving the core genotype to phenotype relationships we were looking for,” Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, told Mashable.
Fat little fuzzballs
The Colossal Woolly Mouse and a normal mouse, next to the Colossal logo.
Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences
The woolly mouse’s fluffy fur isn’t the only alteration Colossal made. Genes associated with body weight and fat metabolism have also been edited in the mice to better mirror that in mammoths. These changes aren’t as immediately observable as the satisfyingly spherical mice’s fuzzy coats. Colossal’s chief science officer Dr. Beth Shapiro told Mashable that they expect to have more information on the impact on the mice before the end of the year.
“We believe that these changes will impact fat metabolism in response to cold climates,” said Shapiro. “These are experiments that will take some time, because we have to have age matched controls that we can feed different diets and explore behavioural responses to different temperatures.”
Shapiro reports that all of the woolly mice are “happy and thriving,” Colossal advising that the rotund clouds with feet are currently being cared for in a humane, secure facility. Lamm further noted that Colossal’s gene editing hasn’t had any unforeseen consequences on the mice thus far, “except for extreme cuteness which we did not intend for.”
Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences
This reported clean bill of health extends to the woolly mice’s reproductive systems, which Colossal says are fully intact and theoretically capable of creating even more of the fuzzballs. Even so, Colossal can’t just allow these palm-sized pom poms to be fruitful and multiply — or at least not yet. The company is currently seeking approval to do so.
“[W]e have submitted to our external ethics panel a request for an amendment to our approved protocol so that we can allow them to breed, which will enable us to do the behavioural experiments to assess the impact of our edits in response to cold,” said Lamm.
Even if Colossal does get approval, it’s unlikely that any of us will ever have one of these tiny tribbles as a ridiculously cute pet. There’s nothing stopping us from dreaming, though.
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The mammoth task of de-extinction
A diagram indicating that the creation of the Colossal Woolly Mouse involved editing genes related to a rough coat, curly hair, and lipid metabolism.
Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences
Genetically engineering miniature sheep for fairies wasn’t Colossal Bioscience’s main agenda. As adorable as the woolly mouse is, its creation is just a step in Colossal’s larger goal of bringing back the woolly mammoth.
Billing itself as “the world’s first and only de-extinction company,” Colossal is working to modify existing animals to better resemble their extinct relatives, rather than attempt to clone long-gone species. In the case of the woolly mammoth, Colossal hopes to alter an Asian elephant’s genome, as it is the pachyderm’s closest living relative.
The company aims to deliver its first woolly mammoth calf by the end of 2028, with Lamm stating that they’re on track to have embryos ready in 2026 for a 22-month gestation period. Using mice allows Colossal to test its hypothesis and see the results of their experiments much more quickly, as the average gestation period of a mouse is around three weeks.
“The mouse is validation that our de-extinction pipeline — from genomic analysis, to mapping ancient DNA variants to physical traits, to engineering those genetic edits into an animal and observing the predicted changes — is successful,” said Shapiro.
Lamm notes that while Colossal is working on multiple parts of its woolly mammoth project in parallel, it’s now mostly in the gene editing phase, having already successfully edited 25 genes in their Asian elephant cells.
“We currently expect to alter around 85 genes in the Asian elephant to de-extinct the core genes and cold-tolerant phenotypes but will know a better exact answer as we get closer to the completion of the project,” said Lamm.
Skepticism about bringing back the woolly mammoth
Two portrait images. On the left is a Colossal Woolly Mouse and a normal mouse being held in someone’s gloved hands. On the right is a Colossal Woolly Mouse on someone’s gloved hand.
Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences
Despite his and Shapiro’s enthusiasm, there has been significant doubt amongst the scientific community regarding whether Colossal’s ambition to revive extinct species is realistic or beneficial. Ethical concerns have also been raised, including fears that genetic editing could have an unintended detrimental impact on the health of the resultant animals. In 2015, Shapiro herself told NPR that gene editing tools would be better used to save current species than attempt to revive extinct ones, and that she “[didn’t] want to see mammoths come back.”
Now a decade later, Shapiro appears to have changed her view, and hopes the apparent success of Colossal’s woolly mouse project assuages at least some other people’s concerns as well.
“[W]e only chose genes to edit that we already knew were compatible with healthy mice based on previous work and research,” said Shapiro. “We carefully assessed the efficiency of our editing process and whether there were unintended edits before using cells to make living mice. And we’re doing everything we can to understand the potential impacts of our edits before we move to working with elephants.”
Though she acknowledged that “there are always concerns about technologies that are new or not fully understood,” Shapiro believes that it’s also risky to shun these tools, or refuse to assess they can be used to protect endangered species.
“[I]t is clear that we need to be thinking of new ways to combat the extinction crisis underway today,” Shapiro continued. “As we work toward the goal of a woolly mammoth, we will discover tools that are immediately useful to protect other species from becoming extinct… We can predict the outcome if we continue along the current path, and that is not an outcome that I want to see.”
Why is reviving the woolly mammoth important?
Credit: Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences
Though reviving the woolly mammoth is a mammoth task, Lamm and Shapiro claim that success would have a wider beneficial impact beyond just creating a close-representative of an extinct species. Lamm asserts that Colossal’s work to de-extinct the woolly mammoth has already garnered increased attention and funding for the biodiversity crisis, and that all the technology the company creates is provided to its conservation partners.
Shapiro further noted that woolly mammoths aerated soil, spread seeds, and removed snow, invigorating tundra ecosystems and increasing biodiversity. Even so, this is an incredibly distant benefit that currently seems unlikely to materialise before climate change threatens or destroys such habitats. It will be many years before Colossal is able to create and breed enough woolly mammoths to make such an impact, assuming this goal is ever achieved at all.
Instead, the greatest potential benefit to reviving the woolly mammoth is likely to be the inspiring impact such an accomplishment would have.
“The mammoth de-extinction project also provides a kind of moonshot goal that inspires people to come together and solve the hard problems that we need to solve in order to save other large megafauna (and smaller animals!) from becoming extinct,” said Shapiro. “It’s also an optimistic story about biodiversity loss, at a time when we really need optimism.”
We’re still far from seeing the first genetically modified woolly mammoth calf take its first steps, and reasonable concerns remain about the endeavour. Yet regardless of your views on Colossal’s woolly mammoth project, the need for more positivity and hope in the world is a sentiment most people can agree with.
Entertainment
Grandma Anne’s Secret Jell-O
I love making food that people appreciate — the kind of meal that makes the whole table go quiet at the first bite. But you know what I kind of love more? Making food that makes the whole table shriek like kids chasing the ice-cream truck.
So, when I happened upon a “secret Jell-O” recipe in chef Hillary Sterling’s new cookbook, Ammazza! — titled for the Roman slang term, which roughly translates to “wowee!” — I knew I had to share.
“This was the defining treat of my childhood,” explains Hillary. Growing up, her Grandma Anne always kept a bowl of Jell-O in the fridge. “She added halved grapes, and they’d hover in the middle while it ‘jellified.’ It tasted so cool, refreshing, and delicious.” As adults, Hillary and her sister tried to replicate it, but never managed to get the taste just right. That’s when their grandpa clued them in to Grandma Anne’s secret ingredient: sweet liqueur. “Turns out, our favorite childhood dessert was one part Grandma, one part frat party.”
Hillary’s own adaptation is a little more cocktail-party than frat, but just as festive: a ruby-red confection, studded with plums and served in a champagne coupe. Plus, it’s incredibly simple, with less than 10 minutes of active cooking time. And while I’ll give Grandma Anne the benefit of the doubt, and say she probably wasn’t trying to inebriate her grandchildren, this recipe has almost a shot’s worth of brandy per serving (wowee, indeed!). So, let’s maybe keep it at the grown-ups table.
Grandma Anne’s Secret Jell-O
from Ammazza! by Hillary Sterling
Serves 4
1/2 cup (115 g) prunes*
3/4 cup (180 ml) brandy
1 85-gram package cherry gelatin
*It’s true, prunes are dried plums. Here, they’re essentially rehydrated in the cooking process.
In a small pot, combine the prunes and 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the brandy. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat low, and cook until the prunes absorb all the liquid (about 5 minutes). Set aside. In a separate small saucepan, bring 1 cup (240 ml) of water to a boil. Place the gelatin in a heatproof bowl, then pour the hot water over it, whisking until fully dissolved (about 2 minutes). Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup (60 ml) of brandy and 1 cup (240 ml) of cold water.
Divide half of the gelatin mixture evenly among four glasses, filling them about halfway. (“This is the time to break out your heirloom wine glasses or champagne coupes,” says Hillary. “Style and presentation meant everything to my grandmother.”) Arrange the glasses on a small sheet pan for stability. Refrigerate, uncovered, until just set (about 1 hour).
Finally, divide the steeped prunes evenly among the glasses, gently placing them on top of the set layer. Top each glass with the remaining gelatin — the fruit will “float” as it sets. Cover and refrigerate until firm but still jiggly (about 1 hour more). Serve, and enjoy!
Thank you so much, Hillary! And congratulations on your beautiful cookbook.
P.S. More fun party recipes, including a chaotic pavlova and a pasta cake.
(Photos by Kelly Puleio. Excerpted with permission from Ammazza!, on sale now from Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Copyright © 2026 by Hillary Sterling)
Entertainment
The Bradley Cooper Horror Movie That Will Break Your Brain
By Sean Thiessen
| Published
What do you get when you cross Bradley Cooper with a Clive Barker horror story? The answer: 2008’s gory cult classic The Midnight Meat Train. Though a slashed theatrical release buried the film, this disturbing bloodbath has finally been unearthed on Tubi.
Riding The Rails Has Never Been More Dangerous
Bradley Cooper leads The Midnight Meat Train as Leon Kaufman, a photographer keen on capturing the grit of city life. After his portfolio is rejected by a high-profile gallery owner for being too safe, Leon ventures out in search of danger. Spoiler alert: he finds it.
Leon captures a brutal act of violence on a subway and becomes obsessed with tracking down a serial killer who has been enacting carnage on the late-night train for years. Leon spirals down a tunnel of mystery that slowly unravels a conspiracy that goes all the way to the bottom. He struggles to gain the support of the police and even his own girlfriend, portrayed by actress Leslie Bibb. The Midnight Meat Train speeds toward a sinister conclusion that is a must-see for horror fans.
This Bradley Cooper film is unlike any other. The Midnight Meat Train was adapted from Barker’s short story by Pet Sematary (2019) screenwriter Jeff Buhler and directed by Japanese filmmaker Ryûhei Kitamura. The result is a dark, tense, and revolting horror mystery, complete with the hyper-stylized sensibilities of 2008.
The film was originally set as the feature directorial debut of Patrick Tatopoulos, a special effects wizard and production designer who cut his teeth on movies like Independence Day, I, Robot, and Underworld. It was scheduled to shoot in New York City in 2005.
Tatopoulos was replaced by Kitamura and, in an effort to cut costs, Bradley Cooper and the rest of the gang shot The Midnight Meat Train in the Los Angeles metro system. Production finally began in the spring of 2007.
Lionsgate distributed the film but only opened the movie in the secondary theatrical market, limiting the release to about 100 screens. It was then quickly released on DVD, much to the filmmakers’ dismay. Clive Barker openly criticized Lionsgate’s Joe Drake for burying other films in order to venerate The Strangers, for which Drake was a producer.
Critics twho saw The Midnight Meat Train generally liked it, praising the acting from Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb, Vinnie Jones, and the rest of the cast. The film carries a 70 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes on the consensus that it delivers the thrills, scares, and gore its target audience seeks.
Bradley Cooper’s Career Took Off After Midnight Meat Train
Bradley Cooper jumped from Midnight Meat Train into the following year’s breakout hit The Hangover. That film launched Cooper from a solid supporting actor to a bankable leading man. The Hangover spawned a lucrative trilogy of comedies that provided a steady stream for Cooper as he expanded to dramatic horizons.
Cooper has since led an exciting and successful career as an actor, director, and producer. His performance in 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook earned the actor his first Oscar nomination, which he followed up with nominations for his work in American Hustle, American Sniper, and A Star is Born. As a producer, his films Joker, A Star is Born, American Sniper, and Nightmare Alley were nominated for Best Picture.
Bradley Cooper’s horror background with Midnight Meat Train paired with the gnarly sensibilities of director James Gunn to bring about Rocket Raccoon in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. The character may be Cooper’s most iconic, but it is easy to forget that such a high-profile actor lurks beneath the CGI surface of the lovable a-hole.
The evolution of Cooper’s career is a fascinating one, and The Midnight Meat Train is an important piece of the puzzle. It stands out among his list of comedies, dramas, and action films, and the film’s troubled release leaves it begging for rediscovery.
Now, nearly 20 years after its release, fans of Bradley Cooper can head on over to Tubi and ride The Midnight Meat Train all the way to the end of the bloody line.
Entertainment
R-Rated, Netflix Original Action Thriller Is A Violent, High-Stakes Protection Job
By Robert Scucci
| Published
One unfortunate reality about most action movies is that the person who needs a bodyguard the most is often the most annoying, insufferable person you could ever encounter. 2019’s Close is no exception, but we eventually learn that the spoiled heiress in question can’t help being totally clueless about how the world works or how people operate. In this case, it leads to a satisfying character arc because our clueless damsel in distress eventually decides to take control of her situation with the help of one of the most badass hired guns money can buy.
Your Typical Protection Job
The dynamic in Close is about as simple as it gets when we’re introduced to Zoe Tanner (Sophie Nélisse), the spoiled heiress of Hassine Mining. Zoe’s stepmother, Rima Hassine (Indira Varma), is horrified to learn that her late husband, Zoe’s father Eric Hassine, left all his shares in the company to his daughter, causing immediate tension within the family. Rima, the acting CEO of Hassine, a company founded by her family, asks Zoe to tag along on a trip to Morocco, where she intends to close a billion-dollar mining deal.
Now that we have the brat out of the way, we can talk about Sam (Noomi Rapace), the close protection officer hired to keep an eye on Zoe at the fortified family compound while Rima is out handling business. As you would expect in a movie like Close, the house is raided by armed intruders, and Sam has to not only win Zoe’s trust, but also figure out who sent these hired goons to the private residence to shake things up.
Rima’s business dealings begin to go south during this all-guns-blazing odyssey because her daughter has been reported missing by every news media outlet, and she’s implicated in the murder of a police officer, causing Hassine Mining’s share prices to plummet. There are plenty of shots of Rima sitting in an empty boardroom looking at market reports involving her mining company and Sikong, the mining company competing with it to drive this point home.
Since global market reports typically involve more than two companies in the real world, it’s reasonable to believe that the board members of Sikong have something to do with Zoe’s abduction and the events that transpire shortly thereafter. Or maybe, perhaps, this is Rima’s way of reclaiming the company that she believes she deserves full ownership in. It’s one of those things that happens in modern movies because people are only half paying attention, so really obvious visual cues are pretty much a requirement.
Good Gunplay With A Forced Girl Power Arc
Like most action thrillers released exclusively by Netflix, Close has the same flat lighting and muted color grading you’ve seen a hundred times before. Generic visuals notwithstanding, the action sequences are tight, controlled, and grounded enough to make you want to stick around. They’re not so over-the-top that you have to suspend an insane amount of disbelief, and the overall conflict is simple enough to sink your teeth into on an intellectual level.
Within this framework, I actually liked the chemistry between Sam and Zoe, which is adversarial at first, naturally, but warms up once they spend some time together. What works really well is how Sam treats this whole thing like a job because, to her, that’s all it is, which humbles Zoe on more than one occasion. Sometimes, all a spoiled brat with no real concept of how the world works needs to hear is, “I don’t care about you, this is just work,” in order to be truly put in her place. I liked this dynamic a lot, but also understood that whatever character development happens here eventually has to move beyond that initial setup because the movie needs somewhere to go.
What really pissed me off, however, was the third-act moment when Zoe stops Sam and asks why she never told her about her estranged daughter. It’s a weird, entitled “we’re supposed to be besties who tell each other everything” moment that comes out of nowhere and makes no sense.
At this point in the film, Sam comes off as a hardened veteran who’s seen some things. Her ability to size up a room and plan alternate escape routes on the fly is beyond impressive, and she’s able to adapt to every scenario with barely a moment’s notice. She straight up told Zoe earlier that this is a professional relationship, and even though their dynamic changes throughout the film, it’s reasonable to assume Sam rightfully has qualms about telling some trust fund baby she barely knows about the child she put up for adoption when she was 16.
The movie doesn’t benefit from exchanges like this, but it’s certainly made worse by them. On one hand, I get it. Zoe is a rich kid who’s had basically no parental supervision her entire life, and she’s trying to make a human connection during an extremely heightened situation. But maybe you shouldn’t ask personally invasive, potentially upsetting questions to the person hired to protect you, especially when you’re caught in the middle of a hail of gunfire. I’m no bodyguard, but I believe the better approach is: survive now, chat about missed, life-altering opportunities later.
Close is just another girl power John Wick kind of thing, and after a while they all start to blend together. So do the male-driven ones, relax. If you want something similar but better, you can stream Gunpowder Milkshake on Netflix or Atomic Blonde on Hulu. If you eventually want to see them all, though, you’ll probably circle back around to Close, which is currently streaming on Netflix.
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