The Story The future of de-extinction
Apr 28, 2025
Tom Whipple, a science writer at The Times, dives into the intriguing realm of de-extinction. He discusses the recent achievement of recreating dire wolves and the ambitious plans to bring back woolly mammoths and dodos. The conversation brings forth ethical dilemmas surrounding authenticity and biodiversity. Whipple also highlights the business potential tied to these revived species, sparking thoughts on the balance between human intervention and ecological harmony in this groundbreaking genetic revolution.
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Direwolves Recreated as Puppies
- Colossal Biosciences created direwolf puppies by editing wolf DNA.
- These direwolves are physically different but raised as normal wolves in a secret U.S. location.
Genetic Limits of De-Extinction
- They edited 20 key genes in the wolf genome to approximate a direwolf.
- The resulting creature is a genetically modified grey wolf, not a true direwolf.
Nature and Nurture in Direwolves
- It is unclear if the direwolves will behave like real direwolves due to genetic and environmental differences.
- Nature and nurture both play roles and these creatures lack direwolf upbringing.