Written By Staff: Adrian Isais

Colossal Biosciences, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a genetic engineering company that is working to bring back the wooly mammoth. The scientists have already brought back an extinct animal known as the dire wolf that has been extinct for over 12,500 years. The company managed to bring them back by taking DNA from a 13,000 year old tooth and a 72,000 year old skull which made genetically viable embryos.Those embryos are then planted into gray wolves, the dire wolves’ closest species. The company made 3 pups named  Romulus, Remus and Haleesi.

When these three reached 6 months old, they were already measuring nearly 4 ft and 80 lbs and could grow up to 6ft and weigh 150 pounds. Their caretakers couldn’t even get too close to the pups before they flinch and flee away and they keep their distance from humans. They are not the type to trot to getting belly rubs and kisses. And the wolves are being held in a safe occupied space no one knows where, aside from the company. Many people have debated whether the extinct animals may just go into another extinction for causes of global warming. The company would want the wooly mammoth to be in groups and herds but they would only adapt to 1 mammoth at the time.

What this means for our future is that the technology now can bring back ancient animals from the past, and can bring these animals back with as little as the DNA they pick up from ancient fossils in museums. It would be possible to bring back plenty more animals, maybe even the woolly mammoth.

There could also be some negatives with these experiments. They could cause harm to our current ecosystem and many possibilities of unintended consequences. 

Cons for the revival- Many people have argued that it has been unethical and would be a distraction to protect the current animals in the ecosystem and manipulate ecosystems.

Direwolves resurrection to modern ecosystems could disrupt predator prey relationships and may harm native species and create unforeseen problems in our current ecosystem. The operation may not be perfect, because the animals could have unexpected health problems or behavioral problems.