Dire Wolves' Revival Sparks Debate Over Species Identity
20 April 2025 · Uncategorized ·
Source: · https://technews.tw/2025/04/09/experts-dispute-claim-dire-wolf-brought-back-from-extinction/
TIME magazine recently featured a striking white wolf on its cover, signaling what some believe to be the return of the dire wolf and capturing global attention. This extinct species gained widespread recognition thanks to HBO’s television series *Game of Thrones*, but it was once a top predator in North America approximately 12,500 years ago.
Based in Dallas, USA, biotech company Colossal Biosciences claims they have created “the world's first successful 'de-extinction' animal” using ancient DNA and gene editing techniques. CEO Ben Lamm states that their team extracted DNA from a tooth dating back to 13,000 years ago and a skull from approximately 72,000 years ago to produce healthy dire wolf cubs.
Three named pups—Romulus (born October 1st, 2024), Remus (October 1st, 2024) and Khaleesi (January 30th, 2025)—are currently housed in a facility with over eight-foot fences under strict surveillance. Chief Animal Officer Matt James describes the cubs as “accustomed to humans but not tamed,” noting that they are more aloof compared to gray wolves.
However, independent experts hold differing opinions. New Zealand’s University of Otago zoologist Philip Seddon refers to these animals as "genetically modified grey wolves," while paleogeneticist Nic Rawlence explains that ancient DNA is too fragmented for complete replication despite being able to reconstruct portions of it.
In reality, scientists identified key genetic sequences from the ancient DNA and made approximately twenty edits in gray wolf genes out of a total of nineteen thousand. These “dire wolves” were then born through surrogate dogs. Colossal advisor Love Dalén acknowledges: "Genetically speaking, this is about 99.9% grey wolf.”
Rawlence argues that dire wolves diverged from gray wolves between two and six million years ago into different genera; therefore, modifying just twenty genes out of around nineteen thousand cannot produce a true dire wolf.
Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s Chief Scientific Officer counters: “We are not aiming for 100% genetic match but to create functional replicas.” She believes that such classifications serve as human constructs rather than absolute truths. Since its establishment in 2021, the company has raised at least $435 million and is valued at over a billion dollars.
Experts express concerns about misleading messages from these “de-extinction” efforts: "Extinction remains permanent," warns Rawlence; Christopher Preston questions whether dire wolves can assume ecological roles when maintaining healthy gray wolf populations already presents challenges.
Based in Dallas, USA, biotech company Colossal Biosciences claims they have created “the world's first successful 'de-extinction' animal” using ancient DNA and gene editing techniques. CEO Ben Lamm states that their team extracted DNA from a tooth dating back to 13,000 years ago and a skull from approximately 72,000 years ago to produce healthy dire wolf cubs.
Three named pups—Romulus (born October 1st, 2024), Remus (October 1st, 2024) and Khaleesi (January 30th, 2025)—are currently housed in a facility with over eight-foot fences under strict surveillance. Chief Animal Officer Matt James describes the cubs as “accustomed to humans but not tamed,” noting that they are more aloof compared to gray wolves.
However, independent experts hold differing opinions. New Zealand’s University of Otago zoologist Philip Seddon refers to these animals as "genetically modified grey wolves," while paleogeneticist Nic Rawlence explains that ancient DNA is too fragmented for complete replication despite being able to reconstruct portions of it.
In reality, scientists identified key genetic sequences from the ancient DNA and made approximately twenty edits in gray wolf genes out of a total of nineteen thousand. These “dire wolves” were then born through surrogate dogs. Colossal advisor Love Dalén acknowledges: "Genetically speaking, this is about 99.9% grey wolf.”
Rawlence argues that dire wolves diverged from gray wolves between two and six million years ago into different genera; therefore, modifying just twenty genes out of around nineteen thousand cannot produce a true dire wolf.
Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s Chief Scientific Officer counters: “We are not aiming for 100% genetic match but to create functional replicas.” She believes that such classifications serve as human constructs rather than absolute truths. Since its establishment in 2021, the company has raised at least $435 million and is valued at over a billion dollars.
Experts express concerns about misleading messages from these “de-extinction” efforts: "Extinction remains permanent," warns Rawlence; Christopher Preston questions whether dire wolves can assume ecological roles when maintaining healthy gray wolf populations already presents challenges.