Extinct Species Return - Dire Wolf resurrected?

[约瑟夫]

For those who have not read/seen…

Colossal, this company founded by Ben Lamm, George Church

Has brought back into existence the first extinct species, a pair of dire wolfs is back alive

One of the many articles online about this.

The Return of the Dire Wolf

My comment reproducing humans can not be too far away.

News in Brief Published: 14 February 2025

“Colossal raises $200 million to bring back the dodo”

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-025-02578-z

[RapAdmin]

Its more like a slightly tweaked grey wolf… I think they only made something like 14 small genetic changes to the grey wolf. I like it, but its not a Dire wolf…

see these articles, for more in-depth information:

For several years now, the Texas-based company has been in the news for its plans to re-create woolly mammoths someday. But now it’s making a bold new claim—that it has actually “de-extincted” an animal called the dire wolf.

And that could be another reason for the high fences and secret location—to fend off scientific critics, some of whom have already been howling that the company is a “scam” perpetrating “elephantine fantasies” on the public and engaging in “pure hype.”

Each animal, the company says, has 20 genetic changes across 14 genes designed to make them larger, change their facial features, and give them a snow-white appearance.

Some scientists reject the company’s claim that the new animals are a revival of the extinct creatures, since in reality dire wolves and gray wolves are different species separated by a few million of years of evolution and several million letters of DNA.

“I would say such an animal is not a dire wolf and it’s not correct to say dire wolves have been brought back from extinction. It’s a modified gray wolf,” says Anders Bergström, a professor at the University of East Anglia who specializes in the evolution of canines. “Twenty changes is not nearly enough. But it could get you a strange-looking gray wolf.”

Game of clones: Colossal’s new wolves are cute, but are they dire?

Does Colossal Biosciences' dire wolf creation justify its $10B+ valuation? |...

[约瑟夫]

@RapAdmin

…but its not a Dire wolf…

No one today knows today if it is or is not a dire wolf.

But it has valued the company to 10Bil and they raised 200mil

“Those that say in can not be done take a back seat to the people doing it.”

From the above posted article

"It takes surprisingly few genetic changes to spell the difference between a living species and an extinct one. Like other canids, a wolf has about 19,000 genes. (Humans and mice have about 30,000.) Creating the dire wolves called for making just 20 edits in 14 genes in the common gray wolf, but those tweaks gave rise to a host of differences, including Romulus’ and Remus’ white coat, larger size, more powerful shoulders, wider head, larger teeth and jaws, more-muscular legs, and characteristic vocalizations, especially howling and whining."

[AnUser]

@RapAdmin

Its more like a slightly tweaked grey wolf… I think they only made something like 14 small genetic changes to the grey wolf. I like it, but its not a Dire wolf…

How many genetic changes are required to be called dire wolf?

[amuser]

[RapAdmin]

In an announcement that spawned flashy headlines—and scientific criticism—the world over, the biotech company Colossal Biosciences declared on Monday it had “resurrected” the dire wolf, a massive carnivore that once prowled North America before going extinct some 10,000 years ago. “For the first time in human history,” the $10 billion company writes on its website, “Colossal successfully restored a once-eradicated species through the science of de-extinction.”

The bold claim was immediately met with skepticism and outrage from scientists on social media. “Colossal Bioscience[s] did not revive dire wolves,” University of Maine paleoecologist Jacquelyn Gill writes in a series of posts on Bluesky. “To see this work being done with such a casual disregard not only for the truth but for life itself is genuinely abhorrent to me.”

Colossal’s stated aim is to revive extinct species such as the dire wolf and other so-called “charismatic megafauna,” including the mammoth, dodo, and Tasmanian tiger. But Colossal’s new animals are not dire wolves—and what has been achieved is not exactly “de-extinction.”

Colossal carefully orchestrated its dire wolf reveal, giving exclusive access to Time and The New Yorker for the unveiling of Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi: three wolf pups born several months ago. With their snow-white fur and large bodies, the wolves look like they ought to be fighting white walkers in an episode of Game of Thrones, the hit fantasy TV show that gave dire wolves their current pop culture notoriety. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Colossal even collaborated with Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martinbefore unveiling the animals on Monday.

To create the trio of pups, scientists at Colossal edited the gray wolf genome in an attempt to imbue the animals with characteristics reminiscent of the dire wolf. These edited cells were then used to create embryos, which were implanted into surrogate dog mothers. “It’s not a dire wolf,” science writer Carl Zimmer, who covered the story for The New York Times, writes in a post on Bluesky. “It’s a gray wolf clone with 20 dire-wolf gene edits, and with some dire wolf traits.”

Science Magazine:

https://www.science.org/content/article/dire-wolf-back-dead-not-exactly

[RapAdmin]

It’s not a dire wolf. It’s a gray wolf clone with 20 dire-wolf gene edits, and with some dire wolf traits. And here’s my story! Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/s…

[RapAdmin]

and, from Colossal Biosciences:

Inside the World’s First Dire Wolf Preserve

[AnUser]

@RapAdmin

It’s not a dire wolf. It’s a gray wolf clone with 20 dire-wolf gene edits, and with some dire wolf traits.

It’s not a dinosaur at Jurassic Park, it’s a genetically modified crocodile with T-rex gene edits.

“If they serve the ecological function (this is what’s called functional distinction), lost biodiversity and phenotypes that made that animal unique, like the polar bear and the bear, they’re just that animal [dire wolf]”

Joe Rogan Experience #2301 - Ben Lamm

My conclusion: It’s A Dire Wolf.

[relaxedmeatball]

Yeah I read a long New Yorker article about this, and I think it’s super cool. However, Church, Lamm etc are hype-masters, and they are deliberately cultivating this sort of controversy. They’re deliberately trying to “bring back” notable animals like dire wolves, mammoths etc, mostly driven by the publicity. It’s then dressed up with a bit of “eco warrior” stuff, like reintroducing species into ecosystems. IMO that’s just marketing and a way to brush off ethical concerns.

However, at the end of the day, they’re raising and spending billions of dollars on cutting edge biomedical research, and they’re actually implementing it. I’m not going to complain, and I’m especially not going to take some self-righteous position about how they’re not doing things the way I would. And I think it’s especially ridiculous to take “ethical” opposition to this. After all, we made these species extinct, and as a population we have zero problem birthing, raising and killing billions of chickens, cattle etc. I fail to see what is so unethical about this sort of experiment when you put it into context.

[RapAdmin]

@AnUser

It’s not a dinosaur at Jurassic Park, it’s a genetically modified crocodile with T-rex gene edits

I actually think its a lot closer to this (crocodile with some edits for longer teeth and legs) than a dire wolf but hey, reasonable people can disagree.

The next bet would be to move to take the embryo of a great blue Herron and add some promoters for higher IGF1 / GH to make it much larger in size, and another gene edit for fewer feathers, and voila, you have a pteranodon.

[KarlT]

You guys are bumming me out. I thought Jurassic Park was here.

[Neo]

@RapAdmin

I actually think its a lot closer to this (crocodile with some edits for longer teeth and legs) than a dire wolf but hey, reasonable people can disagree.

What seem to be to matter most is they they are pushing CRISPR and other technologies that can help transform human health and longevity.

I asked 4o for key examples of how:

Colossal Biosciences’ de-extinction work has several potential applications for human health,

Here’s how their technologies could benefit medicine and biotech:

1. Advanced Gene Editing Tools
• Colossal is pushing the boundaries of CRISPR and synthetic biology, developing tools to edit complex traits across species.
• These tools can be applied to:
• Correct genetic diseases in humans,
• Improve gene therapies (e.g., more precise delivery and fewer off-target effects),
• Create disease-resistant tissues or organs for transplantation.

2. Organ and Tissue Engineering
• To resurrect extinct animals, Colossal is also investing in artificial wombs and ex vivo development. (=> **this can also help with bodyoids ***)
• These advances can be translated to:
• Human organ regeneration (potentially aiding the transplant shortage),
• Growing tissues in lab environments for repair or replacement,
• Fetal medicine, by improving understanding of early-stage development.

3. Disease Models and Drug Testing
• Engineering extinct or ancient genetic traits into living animals offers new models for studying evolutionarily ancient genes.
• This can uncover:
• Gene variants linked to disease resilience (e.g., in cold adaptation, immunity),
• New pathways for treating inflammation, neurodegeneration, or cancer.

4. Epigenetic and Longevity Research
• Colossal is inherently studying how to “wake up” ancient DNA and restore lost biological functions.
• These tools can be applied to:
• Reset epigenetic aging clocks,
• Study cellular rejuvenation,
• Develop therapies to slow or reverse aging-related diseases.

5. Microbiome and Immune System Insights
• Revived species or genetically modified analogs may carry unique microbiomes or immune traits.
• These could provide clues for:
• Autoimmune disease treatment,
• Antibiotic resistance mechanisms,
• Developing next-gen probiotics or vaccines.

Bottom Line:

Colossal’s human health angle is less about mammoths and more about the platform technologies they’re building: powerful new tools for genome engineering, regenerative medicine, and aging biology.

• Note, see:

Regenerative Medicine, Growing New Organs, Etc

By the editor of the piece: [IMG_0356] [IMG_0354] [IMG_0355] See more discussion here https://x.com/antonioregalado/status/1904589199367430305?

[Neo]

@RapAdmin

It’s a gray wolf clone with 20 dire-wolf gene edits, and with some dire wolf traits

https://x.com/geochurch/status/1910177654285742369?

[AnUser]

Bottleneck is probably knowing what genes does what in terms of behavior and appearance, before editing, they haven’t done a lot of edits and “looked at what happened” – unethical?

This would be helpful for understanding human diseases, for MR studies, as well (predicting genes → phenotype). Can’t really trust MR studies without understanding how the genes work I guess.

If there’s a difference in expected appearance or behavior then I wouldn’t call them dire wolves.

[RapAdmin]

Yes - given that the Dire wolves died off 10,000 years ago, we really have little idea what the target genetic or phenotypic changes would be needed to go from a grey wolf to the dire wolf (it seems to me).

[Neo]

Yes, but that is a different argument vs “14-20” edits are not enough

Still the biggest points is that these new wolfs seem healthy - that is a great omen for human CRISPR in the future