[guest post by Dana]

This is one of those things that makes me shudder. Do we really think that nothing will go wrong with this?:

The dire wolf once roamed an American range that extended as far south as Venezuela and as far north as Canada, but not a single one has been seen in over 10,000 years, when the species went extinct. Plenty of dire wolf remains have been discovered across the Americas, however, and that presented an opportunity for a company named Colossal Biosciences.

Relying on deft genetic engineering and ancient, preserved DNA, Colossal scientists deciphered the dire wolf genome, rewrote the genetic code of the common gray wolf to match it, and, using domestic dogs as surrogate mothers, brought Romulus, Remus, and their sister, 2-month-old Khaleesi, into the world during three separate births last fall and this winter—effectively for the first time de-extincting a line of beasts whose live gene pool long ago vanished.

The same company has now “copied mammoth DNA to create a woolly mouse, a chimeric critter with the long, golden coat and the accelerated fat metabolism of the mammoth”.

When presented with concerns about their endeavors, Colossal scientists explained that this knowledge could help endangered animals from going extinct, and that they could use the information about the woolly mouse to “engineer” elephants vigorous enough to survive the impacts of climate change. They also claim that what they learned in replicating the dire wolf can also be used to prevent certain wolves from extinction. Additionally:

“We are an evolutionary force at this point,” says Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s chief science officer, speaking of humanity as a whole. “We are deciding what the future of these species will be.”

And that is what makes me weary: a group of really intelligent scientists, armed with the power and ability to pick and choose what will happen to various species. Do we think that such knowledge will be used wisely and without an adverse outcome? After all, is there anything wrong with letting extinct animals remain just that?

-—Dana

[guest post by Dana]

Rightly reinforcing that the Constitution forbids viewpoint discrimination:

A federal judge ruled against the Trump administration’s decision to ban the Associated Press’s access to events with President Trump because the outlet refused to use Gulf of America when referring to the Gulf of Mexico.

From Judge McFadden:

“The Court merely declares that the AP’s exclusion has been contrary to the First Amendment, and it enjoins the Government from continuing down that unlawful path.”

McFadden is giving the administration time to appeal.

—Dana

[guest post by Dana]

I’m sure this has nothing to do with the Trump Crypto Family:

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is shutting down its National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) and refocusing its approach to digital asset investigations, according to a memo obtained by Reuters.

The memo, issued late Monday by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, directs federal prosecutors to narrow their cryptocurrency enforcement priorities, emphasizing cases linked to terrorism, drug trafficking, and organized crime. Per Reuters, the directive marks a significant departure from the previous administration’s approach, which aggressively pursued regulatory and criminal actions against players in the crypto space.

. . . According to Reuters, the unit had been a cornerstone of President Joe Biden’s broader strategy to crack down on fraud and illicit finance in the rapidly evolving digital asset market.

However, under President Donald Trump, whose family has entered the crypto industry, the DOJ is now charting a different course. Blanche’s memo criticizes what he called the Biden administration’s “reckless strategy of regulation by prosecution,” and instructs DOJ staff to cease investigations that fall outside the new, narrowed focus.

“All ongoing matters inconsistent with this policy should be closed,” Blanche wrote in the memo, per Reuters.

In his communication, Blanche referenced one of Trump’s executive orders that supports access to “open blockchain networks without persecution.” That order underscores the administration’s intent to foster a more favorable environment for blockchain innovation and investment.

And about that Trump Crypto Family:

As World Liberty Financial raised more than half a billion dollars, President Donald Trump’s family took control of the crypto venture and grabbed the lion’s share of those funds, aided by governance terms that industry experts say favor insiders.

World Liberty said in mid-March it had raised $550 million selling so-called governance tokens. Most of those sales took place after Trump’s election win in November, Reuters calculations show.

The tokens, which go by the symbol $WLFI, give holders the right to vote on changes to the project’s underlying code and to signal their opinion on its direction and plans. They cannot be traded.

As its fundraising got traction, World Liberty disclosed in January that the Trump family had taken control of the business, a review of changes in the fine print on World Liberty’s website shows. Two of its co-founders, crypto entrepreneurs Zak Folkman and Chase Herro, were replaced as the controlling parties of World Liberty by an entity in which the Trump family holds a 60% stake.

—Dana