Summary
US company Colossal Biosciences claims to have recreated dire wolves, extinct for over 10,000 years, by genetically engineering three pups.
Using ancient DNA from fossils and modifying gray wolf cells, the genetic material was transferred to dog eggs carried by domestic dog surrogates.
The pups, Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi, are expected to grow larger than modern wolves.
Colossal aims for “de-extinction” and using these techniques for conservation.
However, independent scientists note this achieves only superficial resemblance, not full revival, and the pups lack parental hunting instruction.
They are modified wolves. Their argument that if I looks like a dire wolf it is a dire wolf. We may never actually find the quirks of dire wolf behavior by replicating only certain genes
I mean, it depends on how you define species. If we have a morphological species definition, then appearance is everything. Does individuals that look very similar, have similar dna and can have fertile offspring not count to the same species if their behavior is different?