The impossible seemingly became possible when the news dropped that a company by the name of Colossal Biotechnics revived a species that has been extinct for approximately 12,500 to 13,000 years now. The Dire Wolf once roamed North America many years ago, and now there are 3 genetically modified Dire pups named Romulus, Remus and Kahleesi. Compared to modern day wolves, these wolves had broader heads, larger teeth, and powerful frames, making them respectable. There are many different opinions since news hit the fan, ranging from full support and belief in the dire wolves return to complete skepticism and the argument that these new pups are nothing more than amplified grey wolves.

The company Colossal Biotechnics are calling them dire wolves and referring to this as the world’s first successfully “de-extincted” animal. The same technology can be used to resurrect other extinct species for which ancient DNA is available, according to the company.

Outside experts are more cautious, saying the pups are merely genetically modified gray wolves, because the process used to create them involved editing the genes of that species to add dire wolf traits. The gray wolf is the closest living relative of the dire wolf, according to some sources.

There are two male pups, named Romulus and Remus after Rome’s mythical founders who were suckled by a she-wolf, and one female, named Khaleesi in honor of a “Game of Thrones” character.

“We define de-extinction success as bringing back the functional ecological traits that made dire wolves unique contributors to their ecosystem, and our dire wolves are an example of that,” Beth Shapiro, the chief science officer at Colossal Biotechnics said.

When asked whether it is appropriate to refer to the pups as dire wolves, Shapiro said, “I feel like this debate misses the point a bit. Remember that species classifications are human constructs that often don’t map well onto natural populations. We invented them to help make sense of the natural world.”

“De-extinction is not creating perfect genetic copies of individual animals. It’s about restoring lost ecological functions and enhancing biodiversity,” Shapiro added.

Many are amazed by the technological advancements used to make this epic feat a reality but believe that the situation is being blown out of proportion. “Yes, the ability to create this genetically modified animal is very cool. But what is not so cool is a scientific company exaggerating, misrepresenting, and all but lying about what it actually achieved, and the press lapping it up like uncritical second graders.” One user comments. Another user comments “As a biologist, I confirm that what Mr. Smith is saying is 100% accurate. It’s still a remarkable achievement but needs to be understood in its proper context.”

This event signifies some sort of turning point in our technical advancements. Is this the start of an amazing new era? Or possibly something dystopian? What are your thoughts on the matter?