Colossal Biosciences unveiled its 'dire wolves' in April, claiming that 'species de-extinction is now possible' (Image credit: Colossal Biosciences)
The concept of bringing back extinct species is intriguing; I'd love to see some of the weird Cambrian creatures like Hallucigenia and Opabinia, feathered dinosaurs, the giant hornless rhinoceros “Walter” and giant sloths.
A company called Colossal Biosciences, which specializes in bringing extinct animals back to life, promises to make that dream come true, at least for species like the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), the dodo (Raphus cucullatus), and the Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus). They have recently attracted attention for their efforts to restore the charismatic fauna. First, they reported developing elephant-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that would allow them to bring woolly mammoths back to life, then creating a colossal woolly mouse, or mammoth, as a proof of concept that mammoth traits could be transferred to other animals.
Vincent J. Lynch is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University at Buffalo, SUNY.
Most recently, in a spectacular, if unfortunate, announcement, Colossal made a stunning claim: They had brought the direwolf back from extinction. “Resurrection is now a reality,” they wrote on X. On LinkedIn, the company noted that wolves were “the first species in history to be brought back from extinction.”
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