Ben Lamm on Engineering Extinct Species: Dire Wolves and Conservation

Engineering Extinct Species

• 💡 Colossal Biosciences is working on bringing back extinct species, but not dinosaurs or megalodons due to lack of viable DNA.
• 🔬 The oldest DNA currently used is about 1.2 million years old, for mammoth and stepmamoth projects.

Dire Wolves and Their Habitat

• 🐺 Three dire wolves have been engineered and reside on a 2,000-acre secure ecological preserve in the northern United States.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A 10-person care team, certified by the American Humane Society, monitors and studies them 24/7.
• 🔒 The wolves are not intended for rewilding into open lands but are kept in a controlled, secure environment.

Conservation and Technology Applications

• ⚠️ The project aims to address the forecasted loss of up to 50% of biodiversity by 2050, as modern conservation efforts are not fast enough.
• 🤝 Technologies developed for de-extinction are being open-sourced for conservation efforts, including work with the federal government on red wolf conservation.
• 🌍 The goal is to reintroduce species like the dodo, thylacine, and woolly mammoth back into the wild in collaboration with indigenous groups, landowners, and governments.
• 🗣️ The MHA Nation in North Dakota has an ancestral and spiritual connection to the dire wolves, and is a key collaborator for potential reintroduction on their sovereign land.
• 🚀 The project also aims to excite children about science and bring new attention to conservation through engaging species like the dire wolves.