A Modern-Day Noah’s Ark: Inside Colossal’s High-Tech Quest In the UAE

The future of the planet just got a major dose of star power—and a very high-tech safety net. In a move that feels straight out of a Hollywood movie, the "de-extinction" trailblazers at Colossal Biosciences have teamed up with the UAE to launch a mission that is as heartwarming as it is groundbreaking: a permanent "BioVault" designed to protect the world’s most endangered species.

Located at the world-renowned Museum of the Future in Dubai, the Colossal BioVault and World Preservation Lab is a nine-figure initiative aimed at ensuring that the animals we love today don’t become the ghost stories of tomorrow. Directed by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, the project is a massive effort to bank the genetic "blueprints" of over 10,000 species.

“The UAE’s deep commitment to innovation, conservation, and technological advancement is truly inspiring,” said Ben Lamm, Co-Founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences. “Through this visionary partnership, Colossal has the opportunity to expand into a critical region and advance our mission on a global scale. We are losing species at an alarming rate, and the world urgently needs a distributed network of global BioVaults—a true backup plan for life on Earth.”

While the science is complex—involving advanced robotics, AI monitoring, and state-of-the-art cryopreservation—the heart of the project is simple: hope. By preserving living cell lines from the world’s most imperiled creatures, Colossal is essentially building a "reset button" for biodiversity. If a species vanishes in the wild, its genetic legacy will live on in this high-tech vault, ready to be studied and, potentially, brought back to life.

Perhaps the most exciting part of this "Modern-Day Noah’s Ark" is that it isn’t tucked away in a secret bunker. Instead, the Colossal Biovailt is housed within ithe Museum of the Future for all to see. This "living laboratory" was designed specifically to get kids excited about the wonders of science. Rather than just looking at dusty skeletons, young visitors can watch real scientists work in real time—sequencing DNA and handling tissue samples through glass walls. By turning preservation into a hands-on adventure, the initiative empowers kids to become "citizen scientists." It’s an immersive playground that teaches the next generation that they don’t just have to watch the planet change—they have the tools to save it.

Lamm continued, “Today’s biobanking efforts are underfunded, fragmented, and often inaccessible, lacking the collaboration and international support that this crisis demands. Thanks to the visionary leadership of the UAE, Colossal is now creating the world’s first Colossal BioVault: an unprecedented global resource, a modern-day Noah’s Ark for protecting and restoring life on our planet. We are excited to build on this relationship and pioneer bold new solutions to safeguard biodiversity for generations to come.”

As we look toward a future where nearly half of the world’s species could face extinction by 2050, this partnership offers a much-needed silver lining. By blending Colossal’s brilliant technology with their passion for education, Colossal and the UAE are proving that science is indeed for everyone—and it’s our chance to protect life on Earth for generations to come.