A company’s claims to have genetically engineered the resurrection of three dire wolf pups was celebrated Monday by some of President Donald Trump’s top lieutenants, while biologists said the work’s significance was being misrepresented.
Using what they described as DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull, scientists at Colossal Biosciences, which calls itself a “de-extinction company,” said they brought to life three pups belonging to a species that’s been extinct since the end of the last ice age.
While several biologists said the work, which relied in part on gene editing gray wolf DNA, is remarkable, they disputed it amounted to a “milestone” in reviving an extinct species.
In a statement, Colossal CEO Ben Lamm emphasized the groundbreaking nature of the work.
