Credit: Colossal Biosciences/National Park Service

By: Khariss Bender

[Washington, DC] On Monday, April 7, the American biotechnology and genetic engineering company Colossal Biosciences announced that it has successfully “de-extincted” the dire wolf. Extinct for approximately 10,000 to 13,000 years, the dire wolf has only existed in fossils—and in pop culture depictions like HBO’s Game of Thrones.

As of this week, however, the once-extinct predator has seemingly reappeared. In a feat reminiscent of Jurassic Park, Colossal says it achieved this breakthrough by editing the DNA of a modern gray wolf with genes extracted from dire wolf fossils. The altered genetic material was inserted into a gray wolf egg, which was then implanted in a domestic dog serving as a surrogate.

But is the dire wolf truly back? Technically, no. Rather than cloning the extinct species, scientists have reconstructed a close genetic proxy. In a statement, Colossal clarified, “Colossal’s approach is entirely novel and not one of copying or cloning.” They emphasized that full genome synthesis or cloning of extinct species remains scientifically impossible.

Colossal’s ambitions extend far beyond the dire wolf. The company also plans to use similar techniques to revive the woolly mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, northern white rhinoceros, and the dodo.

Still, critics argue that the company should prioritize protecting endangered species over reviving extinct ones. In response, a professor of genomics, physiology, and biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine noted, “The same technologies that created the dire wolf can directly help save endangered wolves, mammals, and other species as well. This is an extraordinary technological leap in genetic engineering efforts for both science and for conservation as well as preservation of life.”

As the line between science fiction and reality continues to blur, the future of conservation, and the creatures that may walk the Earth once more, hangs in the balance.