Dire wolf pups: world's first successful genetic "de-extinction"???

[outside shooter]

Romulus & Remus.

The dire wolf once roamed an American range that extended as far south as Venezuela and as far north as Canada, but not a single one has been seen in over 10,000 years

Also on their de-extinction wish list is the woolly mammoth, the dodo, and the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger.

The Return of the Dire Wolf

Colossal Biosciences has genetically engineered the first dire wolf to live in over 10,000 years. Here's what that means for other extinct species.

time.com

Colossal Announces World’s First De-Extinction: Birth of Dire Wolves

Colossal Biosciences, the world’s only de-extinction company, today announces the rebirth of the once extinct dire wolf, the world’s first successfully de-ex...

www.businesswire.com

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/04/14/the-dire-wolf-is-back

edit: details show it's a grey wolf, with a few selected CRISPR-edited dire wolf-like genes

 

[Ohio Guy]

Great - so if real life Skynet doesn't get us, real life Jurassic Park might end up doing it.

 

[T.M.P.]

Great - so if real life Skynet doesn't get us, real life Jurassic Park might end up doing it.

*Pleistocene

 

[Ohio Guy]

*Pleistocene

 

[JamieDimonsBalls]

Great - so if real life Skynet doesn't get us, real life Jurassic Park might end up doing it.

Seriously, when can't scientists realize that some things are not worth doing? As if gain of function experiments weren't enough, now we're going to have T-Rexs running amok after they break out of the lab.

 

[Ohio Guy]

Seriously, when can't scientists realize that some things are not worth doing? As if gain of function experiments weren't enough, now we're going to have T-Rexs running amok after they break out of the lab.

And if they're going to use movies as a springboard for 'real' developments can someone get them an old VHS tape of 'Weird Science' already?

 

[mrhighlife]

Romulus & Remus.

The dire wolf once roamed an American range that extended as far south as Venezuela and as far north as Canada, but not a single one has been seen in over 10,000 years

Also on their de-extinction wish list is the woolly mammoth, the dodo, and the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger.

The Return of the Dire Wolf

Colossal Biosciences has genetically engineered the first dire wolf to live in over 10,000 years. Here's what that means for other extinct species.

time.com

Colossal Announces World’s First De-Extinction: Birth of Dire Wolves

Colossal Biosciences, the world’s only de-extinction company, today announces the rebirth of the once extinct dire wolf, the world’s first successfully de-ex...

www.businesswire.com

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/04/14/the-dire-wolf-is-back

Why? What's the point? If you're going to do this why not do it with species that went extinct from something humans caused.

 

[outside shooter]

It's a for-profit company rather than any publicly funded research, so I am guessing they will do it to make money off of some kind of extinct animal zoo

Gotta wonder about the economics of this though. Not a cheap effort.

 

[All4You]

It's a for-profit company rather than any publicly funded research, so I am guessing they will do it to make money off of some kind of extinct animal zoo

Gotta wonder about the economics of this though. Not a cheap effort.

Here are the first images of the animals...

 

[outside shooter]

I suppose that the gene editing techniques can be better applied to highly endangered species, creating more diversity. That would be a better story, bringing back something that worthless humans wiped out, or nearly so

 

[The Original Happy Goat]

This entire story is such BS. They didn't resurrect anything. They didn't even use dire wolf DNA. They just edited the gray wolf genome to encourage physical traits that the dire wolf was supposed to exhibit.

 

[Noodle]

This entire story is such BS. They didn't resurrect anything. They didn't even use dire wolf DNA. They just edited the gray wolf genome to encourage physical traits that the dire wolf was supposed to exhibit.

Isn’t it slightly more than just encouraging physical traits? I mean, I believe they used genetic editing to match portions of dire wolf DNA, right? Not the whole genome, as they don’t have that, but portions of it

 

[76-1]

There you go McMurtry...: Get yourself a Malinois/Dire Wolf mix... Big, athletic, smart and deadly... Just make sure he bonds with you as a pup or you'll end up as a snack and a chew toy...😉🍺

 

[The Original Happy Goat]

Isn’t it slightly more than just encouraging physical traits? I mean, I believe they used genetic editing to match portions of dire wolf DNA, right? Not the whole genome, as they don’t have that, but portions of it

Maybe to an extent. They haven't published it all yet, but there was one comment where they specifically chose a gene edit based on the modern dog to encourage lighter fur, and not the gene found in the dire wolf, because that version might have side effects.

Either way, it's worth reminding people you cannot resurrect an extinct animal. An animal is more than its DNA. These pups have nuclear DNA from gray wolves, dire wolves, and domestic dogs, mitochondrial DNA from gray wolves, all percolated in hormones and using proteins from a domestic dog surrogate, and will be socialized by human vets. Whatever they end up being, they ain't dire wolves.

 

[Univee2]

Maybe to an extent. They haven't published it all yet, but there was one comment where they specifically chose a gene edit based on the modern dog to encourage lighter fur, and not the gene found in the dire wolf, because that version might have side effects.

Either way, it's worth reminding people you cannot resurrect an extinct animal. An animal is more than its DNA. These pups have nuclear DNA from gray wolves, dire wolves, and domestic dogs, mitochondrial DNA from gray wolves, all percolated in hormones and using proteins from a domestic dog surrogate, and will be socialized by human vets. Whatever they end up being, they ain't dire wolves.

Can we call them Big Fvckin’ Wolves?

 

[Eppy99]

Seriously, when can't scientists realize that some things are not worth doing? As if gain of function experiments weren't enough, now we're going to have T-Rexs running amok after they break out of the lab.

Mary Shelley has some thoughts on this.

 

[mattndallas]

Ohio guy doesn't dominate many threads...but he's the clear winner here.

When a leftist, from Athens, OH calls "no joy" because of the nerdism...

 

[HurryingHoosiers]

 

[hookyIU1990]

When I awoke, the dire wolf
600 pounds of sin
Was grinning at my window
All I said was, "Come on in"

Don't murder me
I beg of you, don't murder me
Please, don't murder me

 

[Univee2]

This entire story is such BS. They didn't resurrect anything. They didn't even use dire wolf DNA. They just edited the gray wolf genome to encourage physical traits that the dire wolf was supposed to exhibit.

Nevertheless, there’s a great picture of Romulus and Remus on the Iron Throne, AI-generated or not.