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A warning from the Toronto Zoo CEO: Resurrecting the extinct dire wolf is an ‘incredibly dangerous’ move that comes with ‘enormous’ risk
- Colossal Biosciences announced it produced three genetically engineered dire wolf pups by applying 20 gene edits to gray wolf DNA in 2025 in Dallas.
- The company used a reconstructed dire wolf genome from ancient DNA and delivered edits via dog eggs, although experts note only 14 genes were edited, creating a new wolf species with dire wolf traits.
- The announcement received breathless media coverage and backing from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who praised the effort as a new era and an opportunity to restore lost species despite most ESA-listed species remaining unrecovered.
- Colossal is valued at $10.2 billion with $435 million raised, supported by investor Peter Thiel and endorsed by the Trump Administration, which embraces de-extinction despite ethical and scientific concerns.
- Conservation experts warn that resurrecting extinct species risks ecosystem disruption and distracts from urgent protection needs for endangered species, while current policies focus on fossil fuel extraction rather than biodiversity recovery.
81 Articles
81 Articles
Dire wolf scientists should know “de-extinction” is a fool’s errand (Opinion)
To breathless media coverage, a company called Colossal Biosciences now claims to have produced three genetically engineered pups of the long-extinct dire wolf. Scientific criticism followed fast. The company’s press release claimed the pups to be “the world’s first de-extinct animals … brought back from extinction using genetic edits derived from a complete dire wolf genome, meticulously reconstructed by Colossal from ancient DNA.” Experts in p…
Steamboat Pilot & Today
Glenwood Springs Post Independent‘De-extinction’ is a fool’s errand
To breathless media coverage, a company called Colossal Biosciences now claims to have produced three genetically engineered pups of the long-extinct dire wolf. Scientific criticism followed fast. The company’s press release claimed the pups to be “the world’s first de-extinct animals … brought back from extinction using genetic edits derived from a complete dire wolf genome, meticulously reconstructed by Colossal from ancient DNA.” Experts in p…
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