Are you ready for Dire Wolves to make a come back?

[Still-alive]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/04/07/dire-wolf-returns-colossal-de-extinction/82774316007/

Dire wolf returns from extinction? Company reveals 'magic' it's using to bring back species

Colossal Biosciences, the genetic engineering company working to bring back the woolly mammoth, has actually already brought back one of its extinct Ice Age cohabitants: the dire wolf.

Yeah science!

[Orion84]

I don't consider the animals they've created to actually be dire wolves.

They took the DNA of a wolf, modified some of the genes to match those of real dire wolves, and then implanted them into a domesticated dog.

At best, they are hybrids, of a sort, but I feel they are more accurately just genetically modified grey wolves, and not actually dire wolves.

[Still-alive]

more info: “Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies," Lamm said. "It was once said, ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ Today, our team gets to unveil some of the magic they are working on and its broader impact on conservation.”

[Orion84]

See, the articles I've read over the last few days said differently, that they didn't actually use any of that 13,000 & 72,000 year old DNA in the new creatures.

They used CRISPR to genetically modify existing embryos of grey wolves to match said DNA.

[Orion84]

Basically, all they did was copy it

[Rosexøxø]

Yeah they seem cool, but would have to be kept maintained and in some kind of haven while either well fed or other. Otherwise just adding them into our modern ecosystem would have drastic effects. That’s not only a species who has not been here for some time, but also increases the amount of predators who will need to feed on prey. That’s less meat for the rest of us. But they are beautiful.

[Rosexøxø]

I read more on them and they’re literally from the ice age. So… yeah… they fed upon mammoths and bison. They will need to be WELL fed now and probably just a small batch in some exploratory area. You know like animal ambassadors. Informational. With global warming and POLAR bears having struggles to obtain food. I don’t know how these will survive. They were wiped out on their own DUE to climate change and lack of prey. Being outdone by the gray wolves. We still have grey wolves smaller prey/game, none of us carry spears and the weather is a LOT warmer. It’s even unfair to arctic wildlife because their furs in combination with the weather make things unfair for THEM. Huskies… polars… etc.

It’s nice to see and think… but did they really take time to think it through or be concerned enough for the Dires? 🤷‍♀️

I hope those pups don’t have short lives or live in boring captivity. Who knows how aggressive their genes could be also. 🤷‍♀️ hope they’ll be alright

[purplepoppy]

Ignoring the fact they're not actually dire wolves just genetically modified grey wolves.

The problem I've got is the ecological niche once inhabited by dires is now filled by ordinary wolves of which there are millions. If you release them into the wild they'll just interbreed and go extinct that way

[DrPepper12]

No. We've learned nothing from Prometheus. Or Jurassic Park

[queenofcardio]

They just look like other wolves?

[Wiredone]

Sure. I think they are beautiful animals