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“Dire Wolf” Pups Created: Colossal Biosciences claims to have genetically engineered wolf pups with traits resembling extinct dire wolves.
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Genetic Engineering Process: Scientists used ancient dire wolf DNA to identify traits like white coats and thick fur. They edited gray wolf cells using CRISPR based on 99.5% DNA similarity and inserted them into domestic dog egg cells.
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Not Exact Replicas: The pups are not exact genetic replicas of dire wolves due to millions of base pair differences. Classification as “dire wolves” is based on physical resemblance.
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Dire Wolf Characteristics: Extinct dire wolves were larger than gray wolves, native to North America, and hunted large prey. They went extinct around 13,000 years ago due to prey depletion and human interference.
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Skepticism from Scientists: Independent scientists emphasize this is not a true revival of dire wolves. Vincent Lynch notes it’s only making something look superficially similar.
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Lost Ecological Function: Even with physical resemblance, the pups cannot perform the ecological functions of extinct dire wolves in today’s landscapes.
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Cloning Red Wolves: Colossal also cloned four red wolves to increase genetic diversity within the endangered population.
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Conservation Potential: The cloning technology may have applications for conserving other species by being less invasive.
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Government Interest: The U.S. Interior Department is enthusiastic about the project’s potential, with Secretary Doug Burgum praising it as a “thrilling new era of scientific wonder.”
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Learning Behavior: Pups will not be able to act like dire wolves because they would not learn to kill giant elks or big deer.
