De-extincting Animals: A Wise Endeavor?
[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
Hello.
Dana (da422f) — 4/8/2025 @ 6:25 pmWe’ve all watched _Jurassic Park_ so we all know that nothing can possibly go wrong.
aphrael (dbf41f) — 4/8/2025 @ 6:35 pmlol, aphrael. It’s funny how, when a clever swath of mankind, imbued with a unique brilliance and revelation, we can be assured that good things will inevitably not happen. This, despite altruistic motives-in the beginning, anyway.
Dana (3b7fba) — 4/8/2025 @ 7:00 pmThis is one of those things that is almost cool, but ultimately are horror movie. Horror movies can be cool too, I just wouldn’t want to live that reality.
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 4/8/2025 @ 9:30 pmare horror movie?
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 4/8/2025 @ 9:30 pmLike Kevin once said, scientists need a good dose of the humanities in college to shape their character (which hopefully includes some humility).
Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.
norcal (cdf133) — 4/8/2025 @ 10:29 pmLike Kevin once said, scientists need a good dose of the humanities in college to shape their character
That’s the core mission of my alma mater, btw. Steely-eyed rocket men who care about where things are pointed.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 4/8/2025 @ 10:31 pmOTOH, I would like to see what they can turn up. But it ought to be on some off-shore island that can be nuked if need be. And we can always dump the dire wolves in Russia.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 4/8/2025 @ 10:34 pmSorry to intrude, but if you look about, there are many reports regarding how overstated this research has been. About fourteen genes in gray wolves have been tweaked to resemble genes in extinct dire wolves. Remember how very similar wolves and dogs are genetically; dire wolves have quite a bit in common, too. They basically want wolf relatives that look more like dire wolves.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g9ejy3gdvo
It’s very similar to the “mammoth mice” story a few weeks ago: mouse genes were modified to resemble equivalent genes in extinct mammoths (again, most animals have a remarkable number of genes in common). Result: cute extra furry mice.
https://www.science.org/content/article/mouse-mammoth-s-pelt-makes-superfuzzy-debut
Same company, by the way. The founder, George Church, is a true wizard at getting funding and media attention. He is a remarkable scientist, but something of a controversial person.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Church_(geneticist)
I am a long term science fiction reader (and occasional author), and I am trained as a PhD geneticist. I teach and do research at a liberal arts institution. I have to gently remind folks that every geneticist I know presents the ethical issues revolving around genetics and molecular biology.
I have for thirty years. It’s important.
I appreciate how many people worry about modification of animals and plants. As I tell my own students, we all have to agree on some of these things… and a vote from a person who has no background in genetics is equal to a vote from a geneticist. And that is okay; it’s something that impacts all of society. Thus, the value of presenting science clearly to nonscientists.
Genetic modification was first debated when DNA technologies were initially developed in the 1970s. The result was the Asilomar Agreement, where scientists took a breather from the research until it was shown to be safe. And there were teeth in that arrangement; some folks lost grants over not paying attention to that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asilomar_Conference_on_Recombinant_DNA
Certainly many of our agricultural crops have been genetically modified. Even silly things like the “glofish” (due to inserting fluorescence genes into zebra fish; seen in most pet stores today) exist.
Just as some people see only positives, I urge caution: it is not possible to prove any experiment is perfectly safe. Just like automobiles, surgery, or other things that are part of everyday life.
Honestly, the “dire wolf” and “mammoth mouse” stories are over the top hype. They are useful in getting people to appreciate certain new DNA technologies (and how they might be useful in human health), but the press coverage has been really overblown and silly.
And Colossal (the company in question in both experiments) likes the PR; it gets them more investors.
Sigh.
In short: don’t worry about dire wolves or mammoth mice. Do worry about genetic privacy, modifying viruses (especially in bad containment), and the like.
It’s like the saying of carpenters: measure twice, cut once. That’s true for lumber, and also true for DNA.
Sorry to preach. My word I am getting old.
Simon Jester (ccb91d) — 4/8/2025 @ 11:44 pmWell, yes, thats sort of, tangentially, my point. Ultimately, my concern isn’t what they produce, instead it’s the knowledge and power they have to make such decisions. Throughout history, we’ve witness the horrific outcomes of some very smart people with power over others. Man is simply inherently weak when it comes to power and control. The more they have, the more they want, etc.
Dana (fcdd48) — 4/9/2025 @ 7:06 amThe Island of Dr. Moreau, based on the book by HG Wells.
Dana (fcdd48) — 4/9/2025 @ 7:08 amDepends. On, among other things, how tasty they are.
Jim Miller (354c0e) — 4/9/2025 @ 7:15 amMore seriously: In David Brin’s Uplift stories, mankind comes out into the galaxy having already “uplifted” two species, chimps and dolphins, to sentience. That turns out to have been a brilliant move, because those “uplifts” give us higher status among the many intelligent races we meet.
My favorite in the series is The Uplift War. At the end there is a brief postscript where Brin defends his thinking about uplift. I read it years ago — and am still thinking about his argument.
Jim Miller (354c0e) — 4/9/2025 @ 7:27 amhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Uplift_War
Jim Miller (354c0e) — 4/9/2025 @ 7:30 am@2
Dino movies literally gives me nightmares.
I love horror movies and get a kick out of them… but dinos? Those are scary movies to me.
Which was Michael Criton’s point in his books… the hubris of mankind.
whembly (b7cc46) — 4/9/2025 @ 7:42 amI’d love to see the dodo bird walk the earth again.
I don’t have a real issue with species that became extinct in the last couple centuries, because they were probably caused by us humans anyway.
The dire wolf is something else, and I doubt they’ll be confined for long in a Texas wildlife refuge.
Paul Montagu (ab2176) — 4/9/2025 @ 7:49 amAlso, everything Simon said.
Paul Montagu (ab2176) — 4/9/2025 @ 7:50 amSince messing with genetics of living organisms likely gave the world COVID, I figure that scientists messing about to recreate old life forms will end badly.
See also, Frankenstein, Young Frankenstein, and a lesser known Somerset Maugham, The Magician.
Appalled (68de44) — 4/9/2025 @ 8:31 amthe press coverage has been really overblown and silly.
As per usual
Kevin M (a9545f) — 4/9/2025 @ 8:49 amMy favorite in the series is The Uplift War.
Indeed. A grand cosmic joke, too.
I was just sorry the way the series was concluded.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 4/9/2025 @ 8:52 amThe dire wolf is something else
But is it? If they were to get loose, they’d likely disappear into the larger grey wolf population. They aren’t really a new species, just a few different features that would likely be combined and diluted.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 4/9/2025 @ 8:55 amThe thing is, you don’t know that. Why take the chance?
Paul Montagu (ab2176) — 4/9/2025 @ 9:00 amThis sounds awesome. Dire wolves are cool. And I’m sure a larger wolf is a dangerous predator, but it’s not a grizzly bear or a tiger or a lion. Biggest problem we have with those animals is not accidentally eradicating them. For the most part, people in certain locations do have problems with them, but I’m not worried about armies of dire wolves roaming the land.
Heck, if the technology to do, Jurassic Park were viable whole thing would be funded by Remmington, just as a market development opportunity to increase the sales of their 500 cartridges.
Time (0db76f) — 4/9/2025 @ 9:24 amWolves by themselves… are cool.
Wolves in a pack… are terrifying.
whembly (b7cc46) — 4/9/2025 @ 11:01 amIf they don’t pick the wrong animals.
You can also create problems simply by transporting existing animals.
And then there was the matter of creating a virus that didn’t exist, on the premise that it was bound to exist sooner or later.
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 4/9/2025 @ 1:54 pm#20 We agree on the problematic ending of Brin’s second uplift trilogy. The third book, Heaven’s Reach, never really worked for me. But there are still many fun parts in the trilogy, so I sometimes say the total is less than the sum of its part.
Jim Miller (9b3245) — 4/9/2025 @ 3:08 pmYeah, Heaven’s Reach got a terrible review from me on Amazon. It needs a solid retcon. Deux machina cubed.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 4/9/2025 @ 4:53 pmAnd yes, the first two books of that were great, but he couldn’t finish it on deadline or something.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 4/9/2025 @ 4:53 pm