25-04-2025
Reborn, but ethically torn: The real debate behind de-extinction
The debate over de-extinction isn't really about wolves or mammoths or cheetahs. Or even science. It's about us, about who we are, and who we wish to become
Kumar Abishek
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They look like escapees from Jurassic World — or better yet, Game of Thrones. Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi aren't your average pampered pups. They're the modern reincarnations, at least in silhouette, of the dire wolf or Canis dirus: A burly, heavy-jawed predator that ruled Ice Age landscapes over 10,000 years ago.
Now, thanks to ancient DNA and advanced bioengineering, researchers at Colossal Biosciences -- a US-based startup calling itself a 'de-extinction company' —have achieved the extraordinary by resurrecting something uncannily close to the long-lost beast.
The story begins underground. Fossils unearthed from tar pits -- a 13,000-year-old tooth, a 72,000-year-old