For the first time in over 10,000 years, the legendary Dire Wolf is roaming the Earth once more, all thanks to Colossal Bioengineering. The Dire Wolf (scientific name Aenocyon dirus) was an extinct species of wolf that used to act as an apex predator in North America, being bigger and boasting a thicker coat than the gray wolves we know and love. Currently there are three dire wolves that have been produced, the older two being named Romulus and Remus, and the youngest named Khaleesi. These animals were greatly popularized during the series Game of Thrones, where one of the houses in the show was emblemized by this very wolf, depicting ferocious beasts of pure anger. In real life, however, these critters seem to have a much different personality. The pups, as of now, are used to humans being around them, mostly likely due to them being raised in captivity and having domestic dogs as surrogate mothers, but they lack the friendliness and open sociability that we’re used to in domesticated dogs, meaning these wolves strike a sweet spot between being fully domesticated and wild.
The recreation of this ancient species brings up questions about what its function in nature may look like, or if it even has one. The Gray Wolf we all know and love (Canis lupus), already has issues surviving in our modern world due to issues such as human interference, habitat loss, and a lack of prey, so it’s not that big of a jump to assume that the Dire Wolf, having lived in a version of North America completely different from ours, may have an even harder time thriving in nature, meaning it may be difficult to establish the Dire Wolf as a part of wild ecosystems. What’s more likely is that the Dire wolves will live on private reservations where they’ll be free to do whatever they wish, allowing the wolves to be studied more thoroughly while also ensuring that they have everything they need to thrive.
Mr. Boita, a biology teacher here at Cresskill, has adopted a more critical stance of the project amongst others, explaining how he believes “It’s a big mistake. Organisms go extinct for a reason, and this could have all sorts of unpredictable consequences.” Mr. Boita reflects a common viewpoint that expresses the potential negatives of such a project. There are parts of topics such as genetic engineering we cannot control, meaning there may be unintended consequences with the health of the animals, and even proving to be problematic in ecosystems if introduced, as Mr. Boita also explains how “you’re introducing [the dire wolves] to a new environment, meaning they could become an invasive species that could drive the gray wolves to extinction, leading to a whole other species going extinct, taking a toll on the ecosystem.” Such concerns are valid considerations for the people at Colossal, hence why they are working to monitor the wolves as closely as possible and are making sure they are well contained in order to avoid potential ecosystemic calamities.
What could the next steps look like for Colossal Bioengineering? One of the most ambitious goals they’ve made public is their plan to bring back the legendary Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius). This massive elephant-lookalike was 11 feet tall at the shoulder, and covered in a thick coat of hair, helping it adapt to the frigid temperatures in northern Eurasia it used to inhabit. Unlike Dire wolves, scientists have already come up with clear-cut benefits mammoths could provide, especially in terms of fighting climate change. But how could mammoths help slow such a widespread issue? Well, the mammoths would help create cover for permafrost in the arctic, which, when melting, produces a lot of CO2 and Methane, speeding up climate change. They would trample snow and grass layers in order to keep these pockets frozen, preventing the greenhouse gases from even entering the atmosphere! Colossal in particular has already made a big step in their de-extinction process by creating woolly mice, which are regular mice with a thick and dense coat of fur, made possible due to editing of the genes responsible for hair length and texture in the rodents. Again, however, the same concerns with unpredictability in regards to mammoths returning plague this topic as well.
Mr. Boita explains how gene modification can be used to help humanity in ways such as editing crops to feed more people in places where it’s difficult to farm, but “modifying higher level organisms tends to have much more of a gray area,” which is to say it becomes risky and unpredictable. This is why it’s necessary to have strong precautionary measures in such things, as Colossal has oftentimes emphasized the importance of safety in their procedures, and extensive testing to avoid mishaps with the editing process and the effects the creatures have themselves.
Even though true de-extinction is near impossible due to the scarcity of ancient DNA, we may be able to rebuild these extinct species by editing certain genes to create something near identical to the animal that used to roam the Earth, as has happened during the creation of the Dire Wolf. Concerns with these instances of bringing extinct creatures back to life persist, as they should, but it seems dire wolves are here to stay, with other prehistoric creatures seemingly on the way. But only time will tell how scientists tackle this topic from here!
