Colossal Biosciences, a biotech company, has successfully revived the extinct dire wolf, a species that vanished 12,500 years ago. By using ancient DNA and advanced cloning techniques, scientists created three dire wolf pups from the genes of a gray wolf, its closest living relative. These pups resemble the prehistoric predator, which once roamed North America and inspired the iconic dire wolves in “Game of Thrones.”
Read the article or watch the video to learn about the return of the dire wolf.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/dire-wolf-revived-biotech-companys-de-extinction-process/story
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “think tank” mean? “We’re not a foundation, we’re not a nonprofit, we are not an academic think tank.” Make a sentence with this.
- Define “suckled“. “The older pair are named Romulus and Remus after the mythological founders of Rome, who are traditionally depicted as being suckled by a she-wolf.” Use this in a sentence.
- Explain the idiom, “full steam ahead“. “Colossal continues full steam ahead to its goal of reviving the woolly mammoth in 3 years, with chief scientist Shapiro saying it is just as risky to not use their technological breakthroughs.” Make a sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- What are your thoughts on using cloning and gene-editing to bring back extinct animals like the dire wolf? Do you think there are potential benefits or risks?
- What ethical considerations should be taken into account when deciding whether to resurrect extinct species?
- Should scientists focus on resurrecting extinct species like the mammoth or dire wolf, or should they prioritize conserving endangered species?
- Regarding Meachen’s statement, “I don’t think they are actually dire wolves. I don’t think what we have is dire wolves. What we had is something new — a mostly gray wolf that looks like a dire wolf,” do you agree or disagree? Why?
- Could bringing extinct animals back to life contribute to biodiversity, or might it disrupt the balance of ecosystems? Share your opinion.