Like a spinoff of Jurassic World, a species extinct for 13,000 years known as the dire wolf has been brought back to life after scientists genetically modified the genes of gray wolves, so far, three dire wolf puppies have been created.
Colossal Biosciences is a biotech company based in Texas and is known for its attempts to recreate the mammoth, Tasmanian Tiger, and the dodo bird. However, their attempts to resurrect the dire wolf remained a comparatively closely kept secret and so the puppies came as a shock to many. The dire wolves’ closest living relatives are the gray wolves. Thus, the company was able to use the gray wolves’ DNA, along with a “13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull”, as described by Colossal’s CEO Ben Lamm, to recreate the species. While the scientists note the significant accomplishment, they also admit the wolves are likely not exact duplicates of their ancestors but “they have resurrected the dire wolf phenotype (the observable traits of a species) and we know from the genome that they probably looked a bit like these puppies”. In such a way, many note the three puppies as a significant step forward in the field.
Similar to Jurassic World, the resurrected dire wolves raise numerous ethical and safety questions. How will the reintroduction of these species impact the global food chains? What laws should be put in place to prevent abuse of the new technology? Will these new technologies result in less stringent laws preventing species conservation in the first place? While not all of these questions can be answered so soon after the endeavor, it reminds us of the negative impact such accomplishment can have on society. On the other hand, if put to use in the right way, this technology can be useful in conservation by increasing genetic diversity and aiding species attempting to adapt to climate change.
The three dire wolves, two males and one female, are currently a few months old. Romulus and Remus are the two males and the oldest; Khaleesi is the youngest, a mere two months old. Although the puppies have been categorized by most as dire wolves, some scientists have pointed out that the animals are still 99.9% gray wolves and only resemble dire wolves. The puppies have been described as tolerant of humans but certainly not domesticated.
This scientific breakthrough will have many repercussions in the future and, like all technology, can have both positive and negative impacts based on how carefully this new knowledge is used and for what cause.