Latest news with #ColossalBioscience
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Are Eyeing Tasmanian Tigers for an Extinction Comeback — After Bringing Back Dire Wolves
U.S. biotech company Colossal Bioscience and the University of Melbourne are collaborating to revive a number of species lost to history Lead scientist Professor Andrew Pask revealed they've now mapped the genome of the Tasmanian tiger, an extinct marsupial that hasn't been seen in its natural habitat since 1936 The findings come after Colossal Bioscience announced earlier this year that they've essentially revived the extinct dire wolfScientists have successfully mapped the genome of the Tasmanian tiger, an extinct marsupial native to Australia that was last seen in its natural habitat in 1936. The discovery, a collaboration between U.S. biotech company Colossal Bioscience and the University of Melbourne, could have the Tasmanian Tiger revived in as little as eight years, 9 News reported. "We've been able to sequence the entire thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger genome now, absolutely every single bit of code from one end to the other of the genome," Lead scientist Professor Andrew Pask told the outlet. "We've been able to make the first really key stem cells that we can do this whole genetic engineering process that we need to recreate the thylacine," he added. Tasmanian Thylacine Advisory Committee chair Derwent Valley Mayor Michelle Dracoulis told 9 News, "The thylacine is not just an animal where I come from, it's part of the identity of the people that live there." The research announcement comes after Colossal Bioscience similarly managed to revive the extinct dire wolf earlier this year. The company unveiled three fluffy dire wolf pups, named Romulus, Remus and Khalessi. The species of wolves was notably featured in hit show Game of Thrones. The company uses gene editing to modify the traits of existing animals to the point that their DNA becomes, essentially, that of lost animals. 'Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies,' Colossal CEO and co-founder Ben Lamm said in a statement in April. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. George R. R. Martin, the writer behind the novels on which Game of Thrones was based, said in a statement at the time, 'Many people view dire wolves as mythical creatures that only exist in a fantasy world, but in reality, they have a rich history of contributing to the American ecosystem.' Both the dire wolves and Tasmanian tiger projects are a part of Colossal's de-extinction project, in which they are seeking to revive a number of species lost to history. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Are Eyeing Tasmanian Tigers for an Extinction Comeback — After Bringing Back Dire Wolves
U.S. biotech company Colossal Bioscience and the University of Melbourne are collaborating to revive a number of species lost to history Lead scientist Professor Andrew Pask revealed they've now mapped the genome of the Tasmanian tiger, an extinct marsupial that hasn't been seen in its natural habitat since 1936 The findings come after Colossal Bioscience announced earlier this year that they've essentially revived the extinct dire wolfScientists have successfully mapped the genome of the Tasmanian tiger, an extinct marsupial native to Australia that was last seen in its natural habitat in 1936. The discovery, a collaboration between U.S. biotech company Colossal Bioscience and the University of Melbourne, could have the Tasmanian Tiger revived in as little as eight years, 9 News reported. "We've been able to sequence the entire thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger genome now, absolutely every single bit of code from one end to the other of the genome," Lead scientist Professor Andrew Pask told the outlet. "We've been able to make the first really key stem cells that we can do this whole genetic engineering process that we need to recreate the thylacine," he added. Tasmanian Thylacine Advisory Committee chair Derwent Valley Mayor Michelle Dracoulis told 9 News, "The thylacine is not just an animal where I come from, it's part of the identity of the people that live there." The research announcement comes after Colossal Bioscience similarly managed to revive the extinct dire wolf earlier this year. The company unveiled three fluffy dire wolf pups, named Romulus, Remus and Khalessi. The species of wolves was notably featured in hit show Game of Thrones. The company uses gene editing to modify the traits of existing animals to the point that their DNA becomes, essentially, that of lost animals. 'Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies,' Colossal CEO and co-founder Ben Lamm said in a statement in April. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. George R. R. Martin, the writer behind the novels on which Game of Thrones was based, said in a statement at the time, 'Many people view dire wolves as mythical creatures that only exist in a fantasy world, but in reality, they have a rich history of contributing to the American ecosystem.' Both the dire wolves and Tasmanian tiger projects are a part of Colossal's de-extinction project, in which they are seeking to revive a number of species lost to history. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists dispute Game of Thrones wolves brought back from extinction
Scientists have disputed a bioscience firm's claims to have resurrected the extinct dire wolf more than 10,000 years after the species disappeared from the Earth. Colossal Bioscience, a $10billion private company, professes to have 'restored a once-eradicated species' by genetically engineering three pups using ancient DNA found in fossils from between 11,500 and 72,000 years ago. One of the animals, named Remus, featured on the cover of Time magazine this week alongside the words: 'he's a dire wolf'. But experts have questioned the firm's claims, saying that while the birth of the three wolves is a significant achievement, it is not the same as bringing a species back to life. Credit: Colossal Biosciences 'It's not a direwolf,' Vincent Lynch, professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Buffalo, told The Telegraph. 'Direwolves went extinct, what they've done is cloned a gray wolf and introduced some genetic changes that make it superficially resemble the dire wolf', he said. He added: 'It is disingenuous. They're doing this to get public engagement. They're doing this to get free, friendly press... they won't get that kind of coverage, if they're being intellectually honest, and say that we've made a cloned gray wolf that has some genetic changes that make it look like a dire wolf.' Colossal, a Dallas-based firm, claims to be the 'world's first and only de-extinction company', with its mission to bring back extinct animals including the woolly mammoth, the dodo and the Tasmanian tiger. For its work on the dire wolf, the scientists made 20 edits in 14 genes of the common grey wolf's 19,000 genes. The edited embryos were implanted in surrogate dog mothers, with the wolves born by planned caesarean section to minimise the risk of complications. The genetic tweaks gave the animals a white coat, larger, more powerful shoulders, larger teeth and a change in its howl and whine. Colossal is keeping the pups, named Khaleesi, Romulus and Remus, on a private 2,000-acre facility at an undisclosed location in the northern US. 'On October 1, 2024, for the first time in human history, Colossal successfully restored a once-eradicated species through the science of de-extinction', the firm said on its website, referring to the birth of Romulus. 'After a 10,000+ year absence, our team is proud to return the dire wolf to its rightful place in the ecosystem. Colossal's innovations in science, technology and conservation made it possible to accomplish something that's never been done before: the revival of a species from its longstanding population of zero.' But several scientists dispute the company's claims. 'They're communicating this as de-extinction, that they've brought the dire wolf back... but it was not de-extinction, what they did was animal engineering', Neil Shubin, professor of organismal biology and anatomy at the University of Chicago, told The Telegraph. 'They didn't necessarily bring a creature back with its full genetic code. What they did was engineer living animals with particular traits inside them. And, and in that case, it's actually a very different thing.' He added: 'It's more carnival bakerism than it is discussing what they actually did.' Mr Shubin also said scientists were unable to assess the technological achievements as they do not have access to the methodology behind the work. 'You have a private company that's announcing major scientific results or major technological achievement... without a scientific paper behind it, or any preprint, or any paper trail of methods and anything that anybody can analyse and comment on in any constructive or critical way. So it's all behind closed doors, black box, no publication, and that concerns me as well,' he said. Colossal claimed to have created a 'woolly mouse' last month by editing seven genes in mice embryos to create mice with long, thick, woolly hair. The firm said the achievement vindicated their mission to bring back the woolly mammoth. 'This is another rather over-hyped story from Colossal', said Robin Lovell-Badge, a geneticist at the Francis Crick Institute in London, told The Telegraph. 'Just as their recent one about cute hairy mice, which were a long way from having mammoth physiology, these white wolves are far off being dire wolves. There are many genomic differences between modern day grey wolves and dire wolves and Colossal only made a few genetic alterations to the former. They have white fur and perhaps larger skulls – but this doesn't make them dire wolves, just a product of rather dire thinking.' The Telegraph has contacted Colossal for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
08-04-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
Scientists dispute Game of Thrones wolves brought back from extinction
Scientists have disputed a bioscience firm's claims to have resurrected the extinct dire wolf more than 10,000 years after the species disappeared from the Earth. Colossal Bioscience, a $10billion private company, professes to have 'restored a once-eradicated species' by genetically engineering three pups using ancient DNA found in fossils from between 11,500 and 72,000 years ago. One of the animals, named Remus, featured on the cover of Time magazine this week alongside the words: 'he's a dire wolf'. But experts have questioned the firm's claims, saying that while the birth of the three wolves is a significant achievement, it is not the same as bringing a species back to life. 'It's not a direwolf,' Vincent Lynch, professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Buffalo, told The Telegraph. 'Direwolves went extinct, what they've done is cloned a gray wolf and introduced some genetic changes that make it superficially resemble the dire wolf', he said. He added: 'It is disingenuous. They're doing this to get public engagement. They're doing this to get free, friendly press... they won't get that kind of coverage, if they're being intellectually honest, and say that we've made a cloned gray wolf that has some genetic changes that make it look like a dire wolf.' Colossal, a Dallas-based firm, claims to be the 'world's first and only de-extinction company', with its mission to bring back extinct animals including the woolly mammoth, the dodo and the Tasmanian tiger. For its work on the dire wolf, the scientists made 20 edits in 14 genes of the common grey wolf's 19,000 genes. The edited embryos were implanted in surrogate dog mothers, with the wolves born by planned caesarean section to minimise the risk of complications. The genetic tweaks gave the animals a white coat, larger, more powerful shoulders, larger teeth and a change in its howl and whine. Colossal is keeping the pups, named Khaleesi, Romulus and Remus, on a private 2,000-acre facility at an undisclosed location in the northern US. 'On October 1, 2024, for the first time in human history, Colossal successfully restored a once-eradicated species through the science of de-extinction', the firm said on its website, referring to the birth of Romulus. 'After a 10,000+ year absence, our team is proud to return the dire wolf to its rightful place in the ecosystem. Colossal's innovations in science, technology and conservation made it possible to accomplish something that's never been done before: the revival of a species from its longstanding population of zero.' But several scientists dispute the company's claims. 'They're communicating this as de-extinction, that they've brought the dire wolf back... but it was not de-extinction, what they did was animal engineering', Neil Shubin, professor of organismal biology and anatomy at the University of Chicago, told The Telegraph. 'They didn't necessarily bring a creature back with its full genetic code. What they did was engineer living animals with particular traits inside them. And, and in that case, it's actually a very different thing.' He added: 'It's more carnival bakerism than it is discussing what they actually did.' Mr Shubin also said scientists were unable to assess the technological achievements as they do not have access to the methodology behind the work. 'You have a private company that's announcing major scientific results or major technological achievement... without a scientific paper behind it, or any preprint, or any paper trail of methods and anything that anybody can analyse and comment on in any constructive or critical way. So it's all behind closed doors, black box, no publication, and that concerns me as well,' he said. Colossal claimed to have created a 'woolly mouse' last month by editing seven genes in mice embryos to create mice with long, thick, woolly hair. The firm said the achievement vindicated their mission to bring back the woolly mammoth. 'This is another rather over-hyped story from Colossal', said Robin Lovell-Badge, a geneticist at the Francis Crick Institute in London, told The Telegraph. 'Just as their recent one about cute hairy mice, which were a long way from having mammoth physiology, these white wolves are far off being dire wolves. There are many genomic differences between modern day grey wolves and dire wolves and Colossal only made a few genetic alterations to the former. They have white fur and perhaps larger skulls – but this doesn't make them dire wolves, just a product of rather dire thinking.'
BBC News
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sabi pipo no agree say dire wolf don come back from extinction
One ogbonge snow white wolf bin dey on top di cover of Time Magazine today togeda wit headline wey announce say di dire wolf don come back. Di dire wolf wey now dey extinct get serious popularity afta e show for di Game of Thrones. But na real animal wey bin exist ova 10,000 years ago and dey waka across di Americas. One company wey dem dey call Colossal Bioscience na dem cause di headlines as dem say dem use "deft genetic engineering and olden days DNS" take breed three dire wolf to take "de-extinct" di species. But even though di young wolves wey dem name Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi na proof of ogbonge technological breakthrough, independent sabi pipo tok say no be dire wolves dem be. Zoologist Philip Seddon from di University of Otago for New Zealand explain say di animals na "genetically modified grey wolves". Colossal reveal dia efforts come outside say dem dey use cutting edge genetic techniques to take bring back extinct animals like di woollt mammoth and di Tasmanian tiger. But sabi pipo don torchlight important biological differneces between di wolf for di cover of di Time and di dire wolf wey bin fry roam and hunt for di last ice age. Paleogeneticist Dr Nic Rawlence, we also be from Otago University, explain how di ancient dire wolf DNA wey dem comot from fossil remains bin dey too degraded and damaged to fir biologically copy or clone. Dr Rawlence tell BBC News say, "ancient DNA be like if you put fresh DNA for inside 500 degree oven overnight. E go comot fragmented like shards and dust. You fit reconstruct am but e no go dey good enough to do any oda tin wit." E add say instead di de-extinction team use new synthetic biology technology wey snip pieces of DNA and insert dem to genetic code of living animal wey still get dia full bological blueprint in tact, in dis case dem use grey wolf. Dr Rawlence say, "so wetin Colossal don produce na grey wolf, but e get some dire wolf like characteristics like bigger skull and white fur. Na hybrid." Dr Beth Shapiro, wey be biologist from Colossal Biosciences say dis work represent de-extinction wey she tok say mea recreating animals wit di same characteristics. "Grey wolf na di closest living relative of dire wolf, genetically dem dey very similar so we target DNA sequences wey lead to dire wolf traits and den edit grey wolf cells... den we clone those cells and create our dire wolves." According ot Dr Rawlence sha, dire wolves comot from grey wolves anywia between 2.5 to six million years ago. E ok say, "na completely different genus to grey wolves. Colossal compare di genomes of di dire wolf and di grey wolf and from about 19,000 genes, dem determine say di 20 changes for 14 genes give dem dire wolf." Di edited embryos bin dey implanted inside surrogate domestic dog mamas. According to di article for di Time, all three wolves bin dey born wit planned C-section to fit minimise risk of complication. Colossal wey bin dey valued at $10bn for January dey keep di wolves for private 2,000-acre facility for one undisclosed location for northern US. Las-las sha, di pups resemble weti many pipo dey tink of wen dem tok about dire-wolf and di tori don gada global attention. So wetin come make dis scientific distinction to dey important? Dr Rawlence tell BBC News say "na bicos extiction still be forever. If we no get extinction how we go take learn from our mistakes? "Di message now don turn sat we fit destroy di environment, and say animals fit go extinct but we go fit bring dem back?"
