Colossal Biosciences, a private biotech company, announced what it called the successful revival of the extinct dire wolf species using genetic editing and cloning techniques.

Key Details: Colossal Biosciences extracted and sequenced the genomes of dire wolves from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull, and then made 14 key edits in the genomes of gray wolves to match those of the dire wolves. The edited cells were inserted into dog eggs, which were then implanted into surrogate mother dogs. The result was the birth of three dire wolf pups, named Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi. The company has plans to bring back other extinct species such as the woolly mammoth, the dodo, and the Tasmanian wolf.

Key Quote: "We are an evolutionary force at this point," says Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s chief science officer, speaking of humanity as a whole. “We are deciding what the future of these species will be.”

For Context: Dire wolves, which weighed around 150 pounds and were about twice the size of today's gray wolves, last roamed North and South America around 12,000 years ago. They went extinct at the end of the last Ice Age. The new dire wolves, which are currently housed in a private 2,000-acre facility in the northern United States, have physical characteristics similar to their extinct counterparts, including a thick white coat and more muscular legs.

How the Media Covered It: Coverage of this scientific breakthrough varied across the political spectrum. Reason (Center bias) focused on the scientific process and the potential it holds for reviving other extinct species. Time Magazine (Lean Left bias) provided a more detailed exploration of the ethical implications of using genetic engineering to prevent existing species from becoming extinct. The Daily Caller (Right bias) expressed skepticism towards the experiment, suggesting the possibility of unintended consequences of introducing new species into ecosystems and dangers of applying these technologies to humans.

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