Is ‘de-extinction’ really possible?

Science Weekly

The Guardian

Science

4.2 • 938 Ratings

🗓️ 22 April 2025

⏱️ 17 minutes

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Summary

The American biotech company Colossal Biosciences recently made headlines around the world with claims it had resurrected the dire wolf, an animal that went extinct at the end of the last ice age. But does what the company has done amount to ‘de-extinction’ or should we instead think of these pups as genetically modified versions of the grey wolves that exist today? Science correspondent Nicola Davis tells Madeleine Finlay about the process that created these wolves, how other companies are joining the effort to use genetic modification in conservation, and why some experts have serious ethical questions about bringing back species whose habitats no longer exist. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

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0:00.0	This is The Guardian.
0:09.0	Science Weekly is supported by Hive.
0:13.0	You've probably already heard of Hive and there's smart thermostats
0:16.0	that allow you to control your home heating from anywhere.
0:20.0	But Hive is evolving,
0:22.6	giving you the power to live greener
0:24.6	and lower your bills by taking control of your home energy
0:28.6	with a range of ecotech products.
0:30.6	Heat pumps that pull heat from thin air
0:33.6	to warm your home more efficiently.
0:36.6	Solar panels that allow you to sell energy back
0:40.3	to the grid and EV charges that charge your car at a cheaper rate while you sleep.
0:47.3	It's all connected by the Hive app, giving you total control so you can track your energy
0:53.3	all at the touch of a button.
0:56.0	Hive, know your power.
0:59.0	Visit hivehome.com. T's and C's apply.
1:06.0	If you've seen the 1993 film Jurassic Park, you'll understand the basic premise.
1:17.6	Ancient DNA from a mosquito preserved for millions of years in a block of amber
1:22.6	is extracted and used to bring dinosaurs back from extinction.
1:32.3	Thankfully, for anyone who knows how that went, resurrecting velociraptors and T-Rexes remains in the realm of science fiction.
1:38.3	But fast forward 30 years, and a creature long dead has been brought back. Or so biotech firm colossal
1:47.3	biosciences claimed as they revealed the creation of three dire wolf pups, Romulus,
	...

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