Additional Coverage:
- Dire wolves have been extinct for over 10,000 years. Now, the start-up Colossal Biosciences says it’s brought them back. (businessinsider.com)
“De-Extinction” Debate Sparked by Genetically Modified Wolf Pups
Three wolf pups, unusually large and fluffy white, are at the center of a scientific whirlwind. Created by Colossal Biosciences, a gene-editing startup focused on “de-extinction,” the pups are being touted as the first dire wolves since the species died out roughly 12,500 years ago. Born via Cesarean section to avoid complications due to their size, the pups – Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi – are the product of a complex gene-editing process.
Colossal scientists targeted 20 edits in 14 genes associated with dire wolf traits like size, fur color, and muscular legs, using DNA extracted from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull. However, the lack of a complete dire wolf genome required the team to fill in gaps, leading some experts to question whether these pups are truly dire wolves.
While Colossal CEO Ben Lamm compares the process to the fictional “Jurassic Park” scenario of using frog DNA to complete dinosaur genomes, other geneticists are less convinced. Pontus Skoglund of the Francis Crick Institute argues that these are not dire wolves, but rather genetically modified gray wolves.
Similarly, University at Buffalo professor Vincent Lynch states that the pups are “cloned gray wolves transgenically modified to look like what we think dire wolves looked like.” The scientific community’s ability to scrutinize Colossal’s work is hampered by the lack of a peer-reviewed publication, although the company says it plans to submit one.
This project raises the question of what constitutes “de-extinction.” Colossal aims for “functional de-extinction,” focusing on reviving traits that allow the animals to fulfill the same ecological roles as their extinct counterparts. Love Dalén, a professor on Colossal’s Scientific Advisory Board, considers these pups “Dire Wolf 1.0,” suggesting the possibility of future gene edits.
However, concerns remain about the potential unintended consequences of such genetic manipulation, particularly regarding behavior, given the crucial role of parental learning in wolf social development. These pups, unique in the history of their species, possess only their modified genes, leaving their future and the true meaning of “de-extinction” open to debate.