Romulus and Remus, the two newly born dire wolves brought back from extinction by genetic engineering, seated on the Iron Throne loaned by Peter Jackson for a photoshoot //Photo courtesy.
Colossal Biosciences announced the birth of two dire wolves, Romulus and Remus, born on October 1, 2024 on their X platform
According to their post, they brought back to life the extinct wolf using genetic engineering techniques, which they say they developed from ancient DNA extracts, from fossils dating back 11,500 and 72,000 years ago.
However, there is no guarantee that these animals are truly dire wolves or genetically modified grey wolves designed to resemble dire wolves.
“SOUND ON. You’re hearing the first howl of a dire wolf in over 10,000 years. Meet Romulus and Remus- the world’s first de-extinct animals, born on October 1, 2024.” Colossal Bioscience announced on their Twitter page.
Colossal Biosciences Inc, an American biotechnology and genetic engineering company founded by Ben Lamm and George Church, was initially set up to de-extinct the woolly mammoth, the Tasmanian tiger, the northern white rhinoceros, and the dodo bird.
According to American sources, Romulus and Remus were born via cesarean section, and are now kept in a private 2000-acre preserve in the northern U.S to enhance their safety.
Colossal Biosciences said that the return of dire wolves, does not only mark a milestone as a company. It’s also a leap forward for science, conservation, and humanity.
“From the beginning, our goal has been clear; to revolutionize history and be the first company to use CRISPR technology successfully in the de-extinction of previously lost species. By achieving this, we continue to push forward our broader mission on accepting humanity’s duty to restore earth to a healthier place.”
People reacted differently to this step of dire wolves’ de-extinction.
“The dire wolf was a formidable predator measuring almost five feet from head to tail and weighing around 150 to 200 pounds. Catch that? Predator! It went extinct for a reason, leave nature alone!” Brian the great commented
“Mankind is becoming feckless with our responsibilities. It’s just a matter of time before ‘experts’ are openly engineering humans like God. I believe that governments are already doing this with people. These cute little puppies are just paving the way for acceptance.” Metal Nana added
However, some were in support of the de-extinction.
“Wolves play a vital role in maintaining balance and structure of their ecosystems. Restoring these essential players is absolutely central to our broader conservation goals.”
Despite the claims of dire wolf de-extinction by Colossal Biosciences, there are speculations that it’s a genetic engineering with a retro- twist, since there are allegations that Colossal did not use the original dire wolf DNA in de-extinction, but rather analyzed ancient DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old bone to note the genetic differences, then went ahead and edited 14 genes in a grey wolf cells to represent 20 dire wolf traits. The modified cells were then used in formation of an embryo which was later infused in surrogate dog mothers.
Could this be a huge step for Colossal biosciences or just another terrible idea? The animals might have become extinct for a reason, and as widely known, nature remains the ultimate regulator on earth.
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