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Scientific American
3 days ago
- Science
- Scientific American
This Company Claimed to ‘De-extinct' Dire Wolves. Then the Fighting Started
For months, researchers in a laboratory in Dallas, Texas, worked in secrecy, culturing grey-wolf blood cells and altering the DNA within. The scientists then plucked nuclei from these gene-edited cells and injected them into egg cells from a domestic dog to form clones. They transferred dozens of the cloned embryos into the wombs of surrogate dogs, eventually bringing into the world three animals of a type that had never been seen before. Two males named Romulus and Remus were born in October 2024, and a female, Khaleesi, was born in January. A few months later, Colossal Biosciences, the Texas-based company that produced the creatures, declared: 'The first de-extinct animals are here.' Of 20 edits made to the animals' genomes, the company says that 15 match sequences identified in dire wolves (Aenocyon dirus), a large-bodied wolf species that last roamed North America during the ice age that ended some 11,500 years ago. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. The company's announcement of the pups in April, which described them as dire wolves, set off a media maelstrom. The ensuing debates over the nature of the animals — and the advisability of doing such work — have opened a chasm between Colossal's team and other scientists. 'I don't think they de-extincted anything,' says Jeanne Loring, a stem-cell biologist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. She and many others say that the hype surrounding Colossal's announcement has the potential to confuse the public about what de-extinction technologies can achieve. Colossal, meanwhile, has taken an increasingly combative tone in addressing criticisms, issuing rapid rebuttals to researchers and conservationists who have publicly questioned the company's work. The firm has also been accused of taking part in a campaign to undermine the credibility of some critics. The company denies having played any part in this. Colossal stands by its claims and insists that it is listening to dissenters and seeking advice from them. 'We have had this attitude of running towards critics, not away,' says Ben Lamm, a technology entrepreneur and co-founder of the company. Colossal ambitions De-extinction is an emerging field that represents the meeting point of several groundbreaking biotechnologies: ancient genomics, cloning and genome editing, ostensibly in the service of conservation. The field has roots in science fiction, with the term seeming first to have appeared in a 1979 novel by Piers Anthony called The Source of Magic. And Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park — itself inspired by ancient-DNA investigations — popularized the possibility that long-dead organisms could be cloned from preserved DNA. There has never been perfect agreement on what counts as de-extinction — such as whether it means cloning exact replicas of extinct species, creating proxies that fulfil their roles in ecosystems, or something in between. Some count the birth of a cloned bucardo (Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica), a type of wild goat, as a first example. The animal's genome was transferred into goat (Capra hircus) egg cells from frozen cell samples taken from one of the last living bucardo specimens in 2000. (The resulting creature died within minutes of birth.) But this pathway to de-extinction isn't an option for most species. DNA degrades over time, and without a sample of carefully preserved DNA, researchers would have to engineer the whole genome. The advent of CRISPR–Cas9 genome editing in 2012 provided another option. Researchers can identify genetic variants that contribute to key traits of extinct animals and edit these variants into cells of living relatives. They can then use that manipulated DNA to create a new animal through cloning. Plans to bring back animals such as the passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) and the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) began to flourish. Even though there was interest among researchers and the public, funding was an issue. 'We had been unable to get really any philanthropic interest in de-extinction,' says Ben Novak, who leads a passenger-pigeon de-extinction effort at the non-profit organization Revive & Restore in Sausalito, California. But in 2021, geneticist George Church at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, who was working with Revive & Restore, caught a break. He teamed up with Lamm to launch Colossal Biosciences with US$15 million in funding, much of which came from venture capitalists. De-extinction of the woolly mammoth would be the firm's flagship project, using elephants as surrogates. Beth Shapiro, an evolutionary geneticist who is chief scientific officer at Colossal, was initially sceptical that there was a strong conservation argument for creating elephants that had key mammoth traits. In 2015, she told Nature that her book on de-extinction, called How To Clone A Mammoth, might have been more accurately titled 'How One Might Go About Cloning a Mammoth (Should It Become Technically Possible, And If It Were, In Fact, a Good Idea, Which It's Probably Not)'. Shapiro turned down an offer to join the company at first, but started seriously entertaining the idea when Colossal expanded its de-extinction ambitions. It began projects to bring back the dodo (Raphus cucullatus), which was wiped out in the seventeenth century, and to restore thylacines (Thylacinus cynocephalus), the Australian marsupials that are sometimes referred to as Tasmanian tigers and that were hunted to extinction in the 1930s. She was especially interested in seeing de-extinction technologies applied to existing endangered species. Shapiro joined Colossal in 2024 as its chief scientist. 'This is an opportunity to scale up the impact that I have the potential to make,' she says. 'Maybe it's a mid-life crisis.' The company, now valued at around US$10 billion, has attracted celebrity investors, including the media personality Paris Hilton and film director Peter Jackson, alongside a handful of leading scientists as staff and advisers. Dire disagreements The dire-wolf project was different from many of Colossal's other efforts because it proceeded quietly. Few people knew about the work until this year, and that irked some researchers. 'They didn't invite any kind of conversation about whether or not that is a good use of funds or a good project to do,' says Novak. Shapiro says the secrecy around the dire-wolf project was designed to generate surprise, and to counter public perceptions that the company overpromises and under-delivers. She also says that the company talked extensively to scientists, conservationists and others about the project and how it should proceed. The firm has not released the full list of edits that it made — 20 changes to 14 genome locations. Fifteen of the changes were identified in two dire-wolf genomes obtained from the remains of animals that lived 13,000 and 72,000 years ago. The genome differs from that of the grey wolf (Canis lupus) by about 12 million DNA letters. Colossal says that other edits, including changes that led to the creatures' white coats and contributed to their large size, were intended to replicate dire-wolf traits using gene variants found in grey wolves. Many scientists say that the coat colour in particular was probably inspired more by the animals' appearance in the fantasy television series Game of Thrones than by reality. 'There is no chance in hell a dire wolf is going to look like that,' says Tom Gilbert, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Copenhagen and a scientific adviser to Colossal. He says he agrees with other scientists who have argued that, on the basis of what is known about the dire wolf's range, it 'basically would have looked like a slightly larger coyote'. Colossal notes that the coat colour is based on the discovery of variants in two dire-wolf genomes that it says would have resulted in light-coloured fur. According to an update from Colossal in late June, Romulus and Remus weigh around 40 kilograms, around 20% heavier than a standard grey wolf of the same age, and Khaleesi is about 16 kilograms. They live on an 800-hectare ecological preserve surrounded by a 3-metre wall. Colossal plans to make more of the animals, and to study their health and development in depth. It says it will not release them into the wild. Shapiro argued in her 2015 book that forming a wild population is a requirement for successful de-extinction. She nevertheless considers the dire wolves to be an example of de-extinction, and says that creating them will have conservation benefits for wolves and other species. Many scientists disagree. A group of experts on canids that advises the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) issued a statement in mid-April rejecting Colossal's claim that gene-edited wolves could be considered dire wolves, or even proxies for the extinct species. The statement cites a 2016 IUCN definition for de-extinction that emphasizes that the animal must fill an ecological niche. The work, the group said, 'may demonstrate technical capabilities, but it does not contribute to conservation'. Colossal has disputed this on the social-media platform X (formerly Twitter) saying that the dire-wolf project 'develops vital conservation technologies and provides an ideal platform for the next stage of this research'. Novak says: 'The dire wolf fits the Jurassic Park model of de-extinction beautifully.' The animals have the traits of extinct species and are, to his knowledge, not intended for release into the wild, he says. 'It is clearly for spectacle.' Gilbert, who was a co-author of a preprint describing the ancient dire-wolf genomes, says he is concerned that Colossal is not being sufficiently clear to the public about what it has done. 'It's a dog with 20 edits,' he says. 'If you're putting out descriptions that are going to be so easily falsified, the risk is you do damage to science's reputation.' Lamm rejects the idea that Colossal's messaging undermines public credibility in science, pointing to what he says was an overwhelmingly positive reaction. Loring, who is part of an effort to use stem-cell technology in conservation, says that she sees merit in Colossal's work. It has, she says, changed her views on how to repopulate northern white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum cottoni). But she worries that Colossal's messaging overshadows those contributions. 'It may create an opportunity for us to educate the public,' she says. 'More often, it creates an opportunity for us to be ignored.' To Love Dalén, a palaeogeneticist at the University of Stockholm and a scientific adviser to Colossal, the controversy is 'a storm in a teacup' that detracts from Colossal's achievement. 'It makes me a little bit sad there is this huge debate and angry voices about the common name,' he says. Dogfight Shapiro says she was surprised and saddened by the strength of reactions to Colossal's announcement. 'It was harder than I thought it would be, and the questions were getting meaner and meaner,' she says. But she and Colossal were quick to respond. 'Some of y'all are real mad about this,' she began in a video posted on X in April. 'You can call these animals proxy dire wolves or Colossal's dire wolves. All of that would be correct. We chose to call them dire wolves because they look like dire wolves and reflect the key traits we found by sequencing their genome.' A statement by Colossal to reporters in early April struck a more defensive tone. 'It's obvious most critics would rather complain than contribute,' it said. It asked critics to 'maybe also take a breath and think about what the birth of these technologies means to the future of our planet instead of nitpicking terminology'. Lamm insists that Colossal is willing to listen to scientists' criticisms. He points out that Gilbert is part of its scientific advisory board. But he also questions the legitimacy of some of Colossal's detractors. 'We have a couple of consistent critics that don't have the highest levels of credentials,' he says, 'people who haven't contributed to their fields in quite some time.' Meanwhile, one of Colossal's critics, evolutionary geneticist Vincent Lynch at the University at Buffalo in New York, has accused Lamm and the company of mounting a campaign to discredit him, after Lynch discovered several mostly anonymous web pages and posts questioning his expertise. In a series of posts on X and the social-media service Bluesky, Lynch said he suspects that Colossal and Lamm are responsible for the material. Nature has identified similar posts targeting other critics: Victoria Herridge, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Sheffield, UK; palaeoecologist Nic Rawlence at the University of Otago in New Zealand; and Kristofer Helgen, an evolutionary biologist at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. Lynch acknowledges that he has no direct evidence that Lamm or Colossal were involved. But he says he thinks that the articles targeting him and others were timed to undermine them just as the company was making major announcements, including those about the dire wolf and a gene-edited 'woolly mouse' that the company says lays the groundwork for its woolly mammoth de-extinction efforts. A Colossal spokesperson said the firm was unaware of the posts aimed at Herridge, Rawlence and Helgen, and became aware of those mentioning Lynch only when he accused Colossal of having a hand in them. The company and Lamm deny any involvement. 'It's unclear to the company who would write critical articles about Vincent Lynch, but given his obsession and aggressive behaviour, the company believes it's safe to assume he may have a few enemies,' says a spokesperson. Lynch says: 'Colossal clearly doesn't know anything about me or my life.' On 19 June, he received a letter from Colossal's lawyers, accusing him of defamation against Lamm and threatening legal action. Lynch says that holding companies and their founders accountable for their words and actions should not be considered defamation. 'It is our responsibility as scientists,' he says. Forging ahead From Colossal's perspective, the dire-wolf announcement was a success. Lamm says that the company tracked thousands of articles and social-media mentions about the achievement using artificial intelligence, and that they are overwhelmingly positive. 'I wouldn't change one thing,' he says. In July, Colossal announced controversial plans to de-extinct moas, a group of giant flightless birds that vanished not long after humans first arrived in New Zealand. And the company remains bullish on its other efforts, predicting that mammoth-like elephants could arrive as early as 2028. Some critics are becoming concerned about how the company will conduct its work in the future, and what the impacts of that might be. In a 2021 opinion piece in Nature, Herridge, who had previously turned down an invitation to serve as a scientific adviser to Colossal, wrote that she felt the company's founders were 'driven by a real desire to help the world'. But after the dire-wolf roll-out, she's concerned about Colossal's approach and its priorities. 'We have a company that is only listening to people who agree with them, who is pushing forward with statements that they aren't backing down from,' she says. This 'is not really where we want to be with a technology that has the potential to change the way our world will look'. Lamm disagrees. 'We happily engage with critics,' he says. 'As scientists, we will absolutely consider new data presented and adapt our hypotheses and conclusions.'
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Science news this week: Controversy around the dire wolf 'de-extinctions' and a 3D hologram breakthrough
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It's been quite the week for science news after biotech company Colossal Biosciences announced that it had brought back dire wolves (Aenocyon dirus) from extinction after more than 10,000 years. But do these wolf pups really count as the "world's first de-extinction," as the company claims? The three pups — Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi — were created by genetically engineering the cells of modern-day gray wolves (Canis lupus). The researchers did this by reconstructing the dire wolf's genome from ancient DNA and identifying 20 key differences between this genetic sequence and that of the gray wolf, which the company says are responsible for the dire wolves' distinguishing characteristics. However, while many are excited by this development, others have remained skeptical. For instance, previous genetic analysis has shown that dire wolves are not actually that closely related to gray wolves, and it is therefore unlikely that just 20 genetic tweaks would be enough to transform a gray wolf genome into that of a dire wolf. Others have questioned how these animals could ever be securely released into the wild as part of conservation efforts without negatively affecting existing animal populations. It's a staple of science fiction: a 3D hologram that we can interact with like a solid object. Now, thanks to a string of breakthroughs in mixed reality technologies, these pioneering projections might be a lot closer to reality. In a new study, scientists revealed how using elastic materials in the displays of these holograms can enable them to be grabbed, poked and generally interacted with in a physical way. While the technology is still in its early stages, the team hopes that it will have widespread commercial uses, including in education and entertainment. Discover more technology news —Mini desktop supercomputer coming this year — powerful enough to run advanced AI models and small enough to fit in your bag —AI creates better and funnier memes than people, study shows — even when people use AI for help —Scientists reveal new hydrogen-powered 'robot horse' that could one day take you up a mountain The Roman alphabet, used in English, Spanish, French and thousands of other modern-day languages, first emerged around the seventh century BC. However, humans have been writing for much longer than that — so when did our species invent alphabets, and which is the oldest alphabet in the world? For most trees, lightning spells death and destruction. But in the lowland rainforests of Panama, one tree species may have evolved to use this force of nature to its advantage. Scientists have known for about 10 years that tonka bean trees (Dipteryx oleifera) do not appear to succumb to the damaging blows of lightning strikes. Now, according to research, their incredible lightning resistance may give them an advantage in busy forest canopies — by enabling them to survive direct lightning strikes that kill off their nearby competition. The researchers say this is likely down to their large structure and high internal conductivity, enabling lightning current to flow through them without building up damaging heat that would kill most other trees. Discover more planet Earth news —Scientists say these North American rivers 'shouldn't exist.' Here's why they do. —Winter sea ice cover lowest in 47-year satellite record —The North Pole could wander nearly 90 feet west by the end of the century —Strange altar found at Tikal wasn't made by the Maya — and it has at least 4 people buried inside it —'Starving cannibalistic spiders won't hunt their siblings, but they'll quickly dine on their corpses —6,500-year-old hunting weapons found in Texas cave are among the oldest known in North America —Titanic virtual reconstruction sheds light on fateful night the ship tore apart In 1998, two independent teams of scientists discovered that, contrary to previous predictions, the universe's expansion was not slowing down but was instead accelerating. This acceleration implied the presence of a mysterious entity that we now know as dark energy. For decades, dark energy and its origins have remained elusive. A popular theory suggests that dark energy arises from quantum fluctuations in the vacuum of space. However, when applied to mathematical models, this idea fails to explain the expansion rate of the universe. Now, scientists have turned to string theory — a quantum theory of gravity that treats elementary particles as tiny, vibrating, one-dimensional objects called strings — to solve this puzzle. These so-called strings give rise to different particles depending on the way they are vibrating, including gravitons — the hypothetical quantum carrier of gravity. By basing their calculation on this quantum theory, scientists have determined that space-time itself is inherently quantum in its behavior. And one of the most striking consequences of these assumptions is that they naturally lead to an acceleration of universe expansion. The study is still awaiting peer-review, but the authors claim that their model may provide "the first observational evidence supporting string theory." If you're looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend, here are some of the best long reads, book excerpts and interviews published this week. —Scientific research is the lifeblood of our economy. Now, a wrecking ball has come. —Origins of schizophrenia linked to epigenetics of the placenta —These strange, hybrid Earth lifeforms could survive on Mars, new study hints On Saturday, April 12, look east at dusk to see the next full moon rise into the sky at dusk. The "Pink Moon" will also be relatively small in the sky, making it a "micromoon". 12 million light-years from Earth lies a distant galaxy, at whose heart lies a very messy eater. Observations by the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope in Chile have found that the supermassive black hole at the center of the spiral galaxy, known as NGC 4945, is incredibly active, consuming huge amounts of matter and leaving a messy trail of "scraps" strewn across space by fast winds. In the image above, these galactic winds can be seen as bright, cone-shaped jets escaping from the center of the spiral galaxy. Want more science news? Follow our Live Science WhatsApp Channel for the latest discoveries as they happen. It's the best way to get our expert reporting on the go, but if you don't use WhatsApp, we're also on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Flipboard, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky and LinkedIn.
Leaders
08-04-2025
- Science
- Leaders
World's First De-extinction: Dire Wolf is Back After 10,000 Years
In an unprecedented scientific breakthrough, the US-based biotechnology company, Colossal Biosciences, has brough back the dire wolf after being extinct more than 10,000 years ago, according to CNN. By using ancient DNA, cloning and gene-editing technology, scientists announced on April 7 that they altered the genes of a gray wolf, and the process resulted in three puppies: Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi. Dire wolf petrous bone The researchers have extracted the ancient DNA from two dire wolf fossils and assembled two high-quality Aenocyon dirus genomes. Dire Wolf Then, the team conducted a concise comparison between the genomes with those of living canids such as wolves, jackals and foxes. Therefore, they were able to specify the genetic variants for the special features of dire wolves, such as white coats and thick fur. Through the data of the genetic analysis, scientists eventually altered gray wolf cells and conducted 20 edits in 14 genes. Consequently, they cloned the most significant cell lines and turned them into donor eggs. SOUND ON. You're hearing the first howl of a dire wolf in over 10,000 years. Meet Romulus and Remus—the world's first de-extinct animals, born on October 1, 2024. The dire wolf has been extinct for over 10,000 years. These two wolves were brought back from extinction using… — Colossal Biosciences® (@colossal) April 7, 2025 'Healthy developing embryos were then transferred into surrogates for interspecies gestation,' with three pregnancies that led to births of the first de-extinct species, Colossal said in its statement. Dire Wolf Importantly, the company noted that it depended on domestic dogs like surrogates, which are large, mixed-breed hounds. As a result, two male dire wolf pups were born on October 1, 2024, while a female pup was born on January 30, 2025. Wolf pups 'So, when I saw them born and they were white, I was like, we've done it. Those are dire wolves,' Beth Shapiro, Colossal's chief scientist, told ABC News. Related Topics: Genetic Breakthrough: KACST Constructs First Arabian Leopard Genome KFSHRC Detects 267 Fetal Genetic Disorders Through Prenatal Care University of Hail launches an introductory program for the Saudi genome Short link : Post Views: 193
Muscat Daily
08-04-2025
- Science
- Muscat Daily
Extinct 'Dire-Wolf' species successfully revived after 12,000 years
Dallas, US – Colossal Biosciences has announced a significant milestone in genetic engineering: the successful de-extinction of the dire wolf, a species that disappeared over 12,500 years ago. The birth of three dire wolf pups—Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi—demonstrates the company's progress in species revival technologies. Innovative genetic techniques employed The company's scientists utilised advanced methods, including deep ancient DNA sequencing, polyphyletic trait analyses, multiplex germline editing, and cloning, to achieve this feat. Dr. George Church, a geneticist at Harvard and co-founder of Colossal, highlighted the significance of these technologies, stating they enable the de-extinction of lost genes and contribute to preserving and expanding genetic diversity. State-of-the-art facilities ensure animal welfare The dire wolves are thriving in a secure ecological preserve exceeding 2,000 acres, certified by the American Humane Society and registered with the USDA. Colossal employs a dedicated team of ten full-time animal care staff to support the wolves' physical and mental well-being. The preserve features specialised engagement zones, diverse habitats, and comprehensive security measures, including 10-foot-tall, zoo-grade fencing with redundant perimeter security. Continuous monitoring is conducted through on-site live cameras, security personnel, and drone tracking. Within the preserve, a six-acre secure area houses an on-site veterinary clinic, a wolf management facility, an outdoor storm shelter, and natural dens for the wolves. Recognition from animal welfare organisations Robin Ganzert, Ph.D., CEO of the American Humane Society, commended Colossal's commitment to animal welfare, noting that the company's certification reflects excellence in care, with spacious habitats and devoted staff ensuring the animals can exhibit natural behaviours. Ganzert remarked, 'The technology they are pursuing may be the key to reversing the sixth mass extinction and making extinction events a thing of the past.' Future conservation and cultural Implications Colossal plans to provide lifetime care for the wolves and assess their readiness for relocation to larger protected facilities. Long-term objectives include restoring the species in expansive ecological preserves, potentially on indigenous lands. Mark Fox, Tribal Chairman of the MHA Nation, emphasised the cultural and spiritual significance of the dire wolf's return, viewing it as a symbol of ancient wisdom and a reminder of humanity's responsibility as stewards of the Earth. Background on Dire Wolves Dire wolves ( Aenocyon dirus ) roamed the American midcontinent during the Pleistocene ice ages, with the oldest confirmed fossil dating back approximately 250,000 years. Genomic data from Colossal suggest the lineage first appeared during the Late Pliocene, between 3.5 and 2.5 million years ago. These canids were up to 25% larger than grey wolves, possessing slightly wider heads, light thick fur, and stronger jaws. As hyper-carnivores, their diet primarily consisted of meat from horses and bison. Dire wolves became extinct around 13,000 years ago, coinciding with the end of the most recent ice age. They gained pop culture significance after they were immortalised in 'A Song of Ice and Fire -Game of Thrones' books series written by George R R Martin. D W
CNN
08-04-2025
- Science
- CNN
Scientists say they have resurrected the dire wolf
A species of wolf that died out some 12,500 years ago lives again as the 'world's first successfully de-extincted animal,' according to Dallas-based biotech company Colossal Biosciences. Colossal scientists have created three dire wolf pups by using ancient DNA, cloning and gene-editing technology to alter the genes of a gray wolf, the prehistoric dire wolf's closest living relative, the company announced Monday. The result is essentially a hybrid species similar in appearance to its extinct forerunner. The dire wolf, Aenocyon dirus, which was the inspiration for the fearsome canine featured in the HBO TV series 'Game of Thrones,' was a top predator that once roamed North America. (HBO shares parent company Warner Bros. Discovery with CNN.) Dire wolves were larger in size than gray wolves and 'had a slightly wider head, light thick fur and stronger jaw,' the company said. Colossal has been working toward resurrecting the mammoth, dodo and Tasmanian tiger since 2021, but the company had not previously publicized its work on dire wolves. 'This massive milestone is the first of many coming examples demonstrating that our end-to-end de-extinction technology stack works,' said Ben Lamm, Colossal's cofounder and CEO, in a news release. 'Our team took DNA from a 13,000 year old tooth and a 72,000 year old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies.' The three dire wolves are living on a 2,000-acre site at an undisclosed location enclosed by 10-foot-tall (3-meter-tall) 'zoo-grade' fencing, where they are monitored by security personnel, drones and live camera feeds. Colossal said the facility had been certified by the American Humane Society and registered with the US Department of Agriculture. Using ancient DNA extracted from two dire wolf fossils, Colossal's scientists and collaborators said they were able to assemble two high-quality Aenocyon dirus genomes, or complete sets of genetic information. The team compared the genomes with those of living canids such as wolves, jackals and foxes to identify the genetic variants for traits specific to dire wolves, such as white coats and longer, thick fur. The company then used the information from the genetic analysis to alter gray wolf cells, making 20 edits in 14 genes before cloning the most promising cell lines and transferring them into donor eggs, according to the news release. 'Healthy developing embryos were then transferred into surrogates for interspecies gestation,' with three pregnancies that led to births of the first de-extinct species, Colossal revealed in its statement. The company did not immediately respond when asked what species of animal was used as a surrogate. Multiple media outlets have reported that the company used domestic dogs. Two male dire wolf pups were born on October 1, 2024, while a female pup was born on January 30, 2025, according to Colossal Biosciences. To achieve its goal, the company essentially created a hybrid genome using CRISPR technology to cut away certain gray wolf gene variants and replace them with traits associated with dire wolves, said Love Dalén, a professor in evolutionary genomics based at the Centre for Palaeogenetics at Stockholm University, and an adviser to Colossal. 'There's no secret that across the genome, this is 99.9% gray wolf. There is going to be an argument in the scientific community regarding how many genes need to be changed to make a dire wolf, but this is really a philosophical question,' Dalén said. 'It carries dire wolf genes, and these genes make it look more like a dire wolf than anything we've seen in the last 13,000 years. And that is very cool.' Dalén, who said he had been 'a little bit' involved in the analysis of the dire wolf genomes but had not personally met the dire wolf pups or been involved in the gene editing or cloning process, said the work by the scientists was a 'huge leap' from anything done in the field in the past. 'The way I see this is that they have resurrected the dire wolf phenotype (the observable traits of a species) and we know from the genome that they probably looked a bit like these puppies. To me, it's a dire wolf in that sense,' he said. Colossal has raised at least $435 million since Lamm, a serial entrepreneur, and Harvard University geneticist George Church, founded the company in September 2021 and first announced plans to resurrect the mammoth. That endeavor has taken longer than Lamm initially projected, with the company saying it's on track to introduce the first woolly mammoth calves in 2028. The company hopes the same technologies that created the dire wolf can directly help endangered animals as well. Colossal said on Monday it has produced two litters of cloned red wolves, the most critically endangered wolf species, using a new, less invasive approach to cloning developed during the dire wolf research. Many critics of de-extinction argue that the huge sums of money invested in the project could be better spent elsewhere — and that raising and breeding the hybrid creatures could imperil living animals used as surrogates. However, Christopher Preston, a professor of environmental philosophy at the University of Montana, said Colossal appears to be paying attention to animal welfare issues, noting the size of the facility and support from the American Humane Society. 'Colossal have taken thoughtful precautions to screen against any unintended genetic consequences of their edits, eliminating risky edits known to be associated with poor outcomes,' he added. But he said it's hard to imagine the dire wolves playing a role in an ecosystem, an outcome the company has said is the ultimate goal of its efforts to create genetically engineered mammoths. 'In states like Montana, we are currently having trouble keeping a healthy population of gray wolves on the land in the face of amped up political opposition,' Preston said. 'It is hard to imagine dire wolves ever being released and taking up an ecological role. So, I think it is important to ask what role the new animals will serve.'
