{"id":16278,"date":"2025-04-10T18:10:45","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T18:10:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1413000"},"modified":"2025-04-10T18:10:45","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T18:10:45","slug":"return-of-the-dire-wolf-more-like-a-colossal-case-of-conservation-washing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=16278","title":{"rendered":"Return of the dire wolf? More like a Colossal case of conservation-washing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

US biotech startup Colossal Biosciences has resurrected the dire wolf \u2014 or at least that\u2019s what the company would like you to believe.<\/p>\n

Social media is abuzz with viral videos, memes, and images of fluffy white puppies. The <\/span>Game of Thrones<\/span><\/i> references are \u2014 predictably \u2014 omnipresent. The news even made it to Time magazine\u2019s <\/span>latest cover<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

But behind the hype lies a dangerous de-extinction delusion that could distract from proven solutions to the biodiversity crisis. The Trump administration is already using Colossal\u2019s claims<\/a> as an excuse to slash endangered species protections.<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s set something straight \u2014 Colossal didn\u2019t bring back the dire wolf. It took DNA from ancient dire wolves\u2019 remains and then edited a handful of those genes into the genomes of modern grey wolves to give them larger bodies, broader skulls, and specific coat colours. It\u2019s an impressive feat of tech-wizardry, but these fluffy white cubs are, at best, mutations.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n

\n

The ???? of EU tech<\/p>\n

The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol’ founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It’s free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

George R.R. Martin holds the first new dire wolf born in 10,000 years pic.twitter.com\/5JPepJK8k1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) April 8, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Colossal claims it has \u201csuccessfully restored a once-eradicated species through the science of de-extinction\u201d for the \u201cfirst time in human history\u201d. That\u2019s factually incorrect, as many scientists have already pointed out.<\/span><\/p>\n

As University of Maine paleoecologist Jacquelyn Gill wrote on <\/span>Bluesky<\/span><\/a> on Monday, \u201cTo see this work being done with such a casual disregard not only for the truth but for life itself is genuinely abhorrent to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But Colossal shows no signs of slowing down. Last month, the $10bn company used a similar technique to create a wooly mouse \u2014 a rodent genetically engineered to have mammoth-like pelts. In the future, Colossal plans to \u201cresurrect\u201d other extinct creatures, including the dodo, Tasmanian tiger, and the giant mammoth.<\/span><\/p>\n

The company says that these projects serve as proof of concepts for de-extinction technologies, which could aid in bringing back lost species and restoring ecological balance. It\u2019s the flagbearer of a growing de-extinction movement in the US, joined by organisations like Revive & Restore and Re:Wild.<\/span><\/p>\n

Europe, in contrast, has focused its rewilding efforts more on bringing back existing species, like bison, wolves, and beavers, to regions where they were hunted to extinction. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"As
While genetically engineered \u201cdire wolves\u201d are going viral, the extant Iberian wolf is endangered. Credit: Animal Record\/Creative Commons<\/span><\/figcaption>