No, this isn't a new Jurassic Park plot: A real-life woolly mammoth could be on Earth by the decade's end.

Biotechnology start-up Colossal Biosciences Inc., which is using DNA and genomics in an attempt to re-introduce extinct animals, hopes to bring that tusked beast back in the world by late 2028. And to bolster their efforts, the Dallas-based company has just raised $200 million for its project, bringing its overall valuation to $10.2 billion -- more than six times its valuation just two years ago, Bloomberg reported.

Colossal aims to revive the woolly mammoth species, which mainly went extinct 10,000 years ago (though some populations remained until 4,000 years ago), by creating a woolly mammoth calf that an elephant mother will then give birth to.

And it may seem like science fiction, but currently the start-up is on track to do just that in three years' time. Colossal is in what it calls the "cell-editing phase" of the project, meaning that it has identified the proper genes it needs to work on to bring the calf to life. The genetic sequences in question are mammoth, collected from ancient samples discovered in the frozen tundra, that will then be edited into genes found in Asian elephant cells, according to Bloomberg. Once the woolly mammoth is born, it will be monitored within a bio-secure preserve, the start-up says.

"We're not going to do anything until we get the genomes right," Colossal cofounder and CEO Ben Lamm said in an interview.

The start-up, which also has its sights set on reviving the dodo bird and the Tasmanian tiger, is looking to enhance biodiversity, restore ecosystems' balance, and benefit the general animal kingdom with its de-extinction projects.

Not everyone is on board with the woolly mammoth's return, though. Many scientists are wondering if a resurrected woolly mammoth could survive in today's ecosystems, especially considering climate changes, less viable habitats, and more invasive species, as well as pondering the effects the revived species could have on the biosphere.

"It's better to prevent extinctions in the first place, rather than bring back bio-replicas whose 'reintroduction' may have a host of unintended consequences," Karl Flessa, a paleontologist at the University of Arizona, told Bloomberg via email.

Of course, extinct animals have long held our fascination -- though we mostly get to experience them as fossils, either in museums or when they hit the auction block. A Stegosaurus skeleton named Apex sold for a record $45 million last year, while an Apatosaurus fossil called Vulcain, the largest to ever go to auction, went under the gavel in France this past July. But if you're looking for an adventure, you can dig for fossils yourself at this Montage resort in Montana. How's that for a treasure hunt?