Colossal Biosciences has announced the birth of what they call ‘giant wolves’, extinct for thousands of years. However, these are not actual giant wolves but gray wolves genetically modified to resemble the extinct species.
Details of the Announcement:
- Breeding Method: The pups were gestated in domestic dogs and born using genetic engineering and ancient DNA techniques to mimic the extinct species that lived during the Ice Age over 10,000 years ago.
- Names: The three cubs have been named Rómulo, Remo, and Khaleesi (a nod to a character from ‘Game of Thrones’).
Company’s Goals:
Colossal Biosciences is focused on what they call “de-extinction,” aiming to “resurrect” species like the woolly mammoth, marsupial wolf, dodo, and Tasmanian tiger using complex DNA synthesis techniques from tissues and living organisms.
Expert Opinion:
Dr. Philip Seddon, a Zoology professor at the University of Otago, New Zealand, clarifies that these are not giant wolves but genetically modified grey wolves. He emphasizes that the term “de-extinction” is misleading as it implies bringing back extinct species, which is currently impossible due to DNA degradation over time.
“To truly ‘de-extinct’ something, you would need to clone the animal,” Dr. Seddon explains. However, since extinct animals can’t be cloned because their DNA isn’t sufficiently preserved, methods like CRISPR-cas9 are used to modify living species’ genes, creating hydrid or transgenic organisms that resemble extinct ones.
“In the case of Colossal’s wolf cubs,” he continues, “they’ve introduced a small number of genetic changes into grey wolves to produce pups with some woolly mammoth-like traits—paler fur and potentially slightly larger size.”
Nic Rawlence, a researcher at Otago University’s Paleogenomics Laboratory, adds that true ‘de-extinction’ would involve cloning extinct species. Since this isn’t feasible due to poorly preserved DNA, synthetic biology techniques must be employed.
“Colossal has created a hybrid,” Rawlence concludes. “They believe these changes give the wolves some key woolly mammoth traits, but they’re still grey wolves.”
