When the news that Texas scientists had successfully reintroduced the long -distance wolf of the modern world, more people than simple fans of “Game of Thrones” have noticed.
Natural History Museum researchers Brea tar stingsWhere a wall is decorated with hundreds of disastrous wolf skulls, had questions.
Note, are they really disastrous? It turns out that it depends on how you define it.
“What they created is essentially a genetically modified gray wolf that has received genetic features so that they can express morphological or physical traits that look more like the disastrous wolves,” said Kayce Bell, a conservative of terrestrial mammals at the Natural History Museum. “The technology and the tools they develop with this work are incredible and very powerful, but the terms that are used to discuss it, I think, are misleading.”
Earlier this week, Biotechnology Company Colossal biosciences In Dallas, Dallas announced that they had “de-extinguished” the terrible wolf, sharing the news of the births of three healthy puppies. More than 18 months, experts extracted and sequenced the old DNA of two ubiquitous wolf fossils – a 13,000 -year tooth of Sheridan Pit, Ohio, and an interior bone of 72,000 years of American Falls, Idaho. With this old DNA, scientists have identified variants of specific genes with terrible wolves, then published multiplex genes with a gray wolf genome, the living parents closest to Wolves. They used domestic dogs as alternative mothers to be born the three puppies.
This undated photo provided by Colossal Biosciences shows two puppies which have been genetically modified with similarities with the extinguished disintegration wolf.
(Colossal biosciences via Associated Press)
Colossal's director of sciences, Beth Shapiro, said that she understood the scientific skepticism that came with the announcement.
“I understand,” she said. “It's frustrating when you work in paleontology and you have the impression that it is not an effective scientific communication, and I would have liked to do a little better.”
Although southern California has a jackpot of wolf fossils desire compared to other sites, it is difficult to extract DNA from local samples. Shapiro said that she was trying and that she cannot collect DNA in local samples for 20 years. Among the reasons why it is difficult to collect, say the experts, is that the urban landscape of Los Angeles cooked in the sun, heating the asphalt, which could degrade old DNA buried below.
The Tar Pits Brea has the highest concentration of disastrous wolf fossils in the world, with remains of more than 4,000 disastrous wolves found on the site. They live in the region for at least 50,000 years, disappearing about 13,000 years ago.
“There is no other site on Earth that is even getting closer to this,” said Emily Lindsey, the associate commissioner and director of the excavation site at the Tar Pits Brea.
Disastrous wolves, from southern California, but without limiting themselves, were very adaptable and had a very wide range of environmental tolerances before the species disappeared around 10,000 years ago, said Lindsey.
The three puppies – Romulus and Remus, born in October, and Khaleesi, born in January – now live on an ecological reserve in a non -disclosed place which extends over 2,000 acres and welcomes 10 full -time staff who take care and observe them. The reserve is certified by the American Humane Society and recorded with the United States Department of Agriculture.
Depending on the way you look at it, it could now be wolf territory now.
In 2016, the International Union for Nature Conservation published a report This focused on de-extinction and defined it as “bringing an indirect indicator of an extinct species which looks like it in one way or another, phenotypically, physiologically, ecological,” said Shapiro.
But in the end, she said that she was not really suspended that animals are called beyond their name, inspired by the founders of Rome and the “Game of Thrones” show.
“Call this a de-extinguished direct wolf which remains by the definition that the scientific community agreed 10 years ago. Call him colossal's say Wolf. Call him a gray wolf with 20 modifications that look like and act as a wolf desire and is a functional replacement for a terrible wolf,” said Shapiro.
Part of the colossal's announcement this week included news according to which they had also successfully created four clones of the red wolf endangered Use of new non -invasive cloning technology. Lindsey and Bell said they appreciated colossal work on the preservation of endangered species, but think that focusing on conservation is a more productive use of resources.
“There are potentially useful applications of some of these technologies, in particular to prevent very threatened species from disappearing. I think it would be a much more effective application of these technologies than trying to bring something that looks like an extinct for life,” said Lindsey. “I would hate having to try to expose wolves once they have disappeared, right?”
The CEO of Colossal, Ben Lamm, said that the company wanted to twin its “de-extinction events” with the work they do to protect species in danger in a critical way. The other hopes of company de-extinction include the revival of the woolly mammoth, dodo, thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger. In Lamm and Shapiro, de-extinction and conservation can operate in tandem.
“Conservation and de-extinction are not in contradiction with each other. The de-extinction toolbox should be part of the growing number of ways we have at hand to help species in danger to survive,” said Shapiro.
Lamm, which has drawn drawings of dodos and other extinct animals that the children had sent to the colossal team during a zoom interview with the Times, said that it thought that the milestone could also inspire more people to pursue careers in related areas.
“The world needs a little hope at the moment, and I think the world needs more science. I hope we provide a bit of both,” he said.
And yes, of course “Jurassic Park” Quotes and references are launched by Lamm and Shapiro with an amazing frequency.
“People actually tell us:” You don't know what happened in Jurassic Park? “” Didn't you see what happened there? No, “you didn't watch the film and learned anything about the human pride of the film?” They don't say that.
Shapiro added: “People shout us that these are not real disastrous wolves. But no one has ever wondered if the dinosaurs of” Jurassic Park “are real dinosaurs.”
Although the debate is still open, Lindsey said that she invited any curious person to creatures to visit the Tar Brea pits to see some of the “real disastrous wolves” that they searched on the site.
“This is a really cool opportunity – the one you don't get in almost all the other cities in the world – to really come and see the incredible diversity of the big animals that lived here until very recently,” said Lindsey.
