{"id":30291,"date":"2025-05-09T19:48:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T17:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/?p=30291"},"modified":"2025-05-14T07:45:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T05:45:51","slug":"scientists-revive-the-dire-wolf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2025\/05\/scientists-revive-the-dire-wolf\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Resurrected the Dire Wolf"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

B2 – Upper Intermediate<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colossal Biosciences, a biotech company, has successfully de-extincted the 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These pups resemble the prehistoric predator, which once roamed North America and inspired the iconic dire wolves in the popular television series “Game of Thrones.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the article to learn about the return of the dire wolf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2025\/04\/07\/science\/dire-wolf-de-extinction-cloning-colossal\/index.html<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vocabulary Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. What does “standoffish<\/strong>” mean? “We\u2019re still seeing a lot of juvenile behaviors. I think they are much more standoffish<\/strong>, much more skittish (than gray wolves).\u00a0“<\/em> Make a sentence with this word. Give a similar word.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Define “skittish<\/strong>“. “We\u2019re still seeing a lot of juvenile behaviors. I think they are much more standoffish, much more skittish<\/strong> (than gray wolves).\u00a0.”<\/em> Use this adjective in a sentence. Give a synonym.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Explain the phrase, “carbon copy<\/strong>“. “The debate over whether the wolves are a carbon copy of their extinct forerunners misses the point, Shapiro said, adding that the team had been successful in resurrecting the \u201cfunctional essence\u201d of the dire wolf.”<\/em> Make a sentence using the phrase. Give a similar expression.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Discussion Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. 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?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. What ethical considerations should be taken into account when deciding whether to resurrect extinct species?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Should scientists focus on resurrecting extinct species like the mammoth or dire wolf, or should they prioritize conserving endangered species?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. 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<\/em>.”, do you agree or disagree? Why?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. Could bringing extinct animals back to life contribute to biodiversity, or might it disrupt the balance of ecosystems? Share your opinion.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      B2 – Upper Intermediate Colossal Biosciences, a biotech company, has successfully de-extincted the 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[291,292,289,234,402,293],"class_list":["post-30291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-homework","tag-b2-upper-intermediate","tag-first-certificate-fce","tag-reading","tag-science","tag-science-and-technology","tag-text"],"yoast_head":"\nScientists Resurrected the Dire Wolf | phone english blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2025\/05\/scientists-revive-the-dire-wolf\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Scientists Resurrected the Dire Wolf | phone english blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"B2 – Upper Intermediate Colossal Biosciences, a biotech company, has successfully de-extincted the 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. 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