It did sound a bit sketchy to me that it had actually been done. The initial general news items didn't seem to question it much if at all though.
"Did Dire Wolves Just Come Back From Extinction? Here's The Truth." |
Science Alert (https://www.sciencealert.com/did-dire-wolves-just-come-back-from-extinction-heres-the-truth)
QuoteThe internet is currently abuzz with talk of dire wolves – an extinct species of prehistoric wolf that used to roam North America and that was famously featured in the HBO fantasy series, Game of Thrones.
A Dallas-based biotech company, Colossal Biosciences, claims to have resurrected the prehistoric Ice Age species (Aenocyon dirus) in the form of three genetically engineered grey wolf pups named Romulus, Remus, and Kaleesi.
"On October 1, 2024, for the first time in human history, Colossal successfully restored a once-eradicated species through the science of de-extinction," reads the company's official press release.
"Colossal's innovations in science, technology, and conservation made it possible to accomplish something that's never been done before: the revival of a species from its longstanding population of zero."
With thick pelts not seen in modern wolves, the white-furred pups may well pass for a distinct new type of wolf, but in the words of American astronomer and science communicator Carl Sagan, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."
Right now, details of the non-peer-reviewed research are very limited. All the public has to go on are images and quotes provided by Colossal.
Jeremy Austin, Director of the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, told ScienceAlert that all Colossal has done is create a genetically engineered gray wolf that looks like what the company thinks a dire wolf might have looked like. And even that is up for debate; canids are morphologically similar, making it hard to verify from fossil remains the exact appearance of an extinct member of the family.
Evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro of Colossal has given a definition of a species that Austin finds misleading.
"Species concepts are human classification systems, and everybody can disagree and everyone can be right," Shapiro told Michael Le Page at New Scientist.
"I think that the best definition of a species is if it looks like that species, if it is acting like that species, if it's filling the role of that species, then you've done it," she told ABC News.
But looks aren't everything. Cryptic species, for instance, are organisms that are almost indistinguishable but are genetically distinct and do not typically interbreed.
Austin compares Shapiro's lenient definition to the literary folktale, the Emperor's New Clothes.
"If you say you've done something, and enough people believe you, then, well, you've done it," Austin told ScienceAlert.
"Whereas I think a lot of scientists are going to be scratching their heads, saying, 'Look, you've got a white, gray wolf.' That's not a dire wolf under any definition of a species ever... I don't think that this represents de-extinction in any way, shape, or form."
[. . .]
To create these pups, scientists at Colossal used past genetic sequencing studies to make just 20 unique precision edits among the 2.5 billion base pairs in gray wolf germline cells. They then used surrogate dog mothers to give birth to the genetically engineered gray wolf pups.
Colossal hasn't claimed an intention to make a genetically precise dire wolf. But even if they are trying to create a wolf that looks and behaves like they think a dire wolf would, Austin says that would still probably require tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of critical genetic changes.
Five of the 20 gene edits made to the gray wolves were apparently associated with light coat color alone, according to New Scientist's interview with Shapiro (https://archive.is/sX4ws).
[Continues . . . (https://www.sciencealert.com/did-dire-wolves-just-come-back-from-extinction-heres-the-truth)]
This has been making the rounds on FB with all kinds of spurious claims.
They're literally grey wolves in dire wolves' clothing. Sort of. It's not even clear that the particular version of thicker fur they've been given is what would have covered actual dire wolves. Nor is it clear that they'll grow to a significantly larger size than grey wolves. The dire wolves in the TV show were white I take it, but as far as I know white dire wolves wouldn't have been particularly common. It's a colorful story, early days in the designer genetics thing. I think that field is bound to get more colorful, and probably even more dubious in ways we can only imagine.
Yes in Game of Thrones Dire Wolves were depicted as very large white wolves. A good plot device but little else. But given the stories revolved around fireproof naked women and dragons that's not much of a surprise is it?
:D