National Center for Wildlife: 'Dire Wolf' Pups Are Genetically Modified Gray Wolves

The National Center for Wildlife stated that the pups bearing traits of the dire wolf, recently announced to have been born, are not a result of cloning or recreation, but rather a genetic modification of the gray wolf.
 According to a team of experts at the center, the company behind the new experiment inserted 14 genes—some from dire wolf fossils and others from dogs—into the gray wolf. The result is a genetically modified creature that retains 99.5 percent of the gray wolf’s genetic origin, but with physical traits closer to the dire wolf, such as a larger size, white fur, a thicker tail, denser skin, and larger fangs.
 The center’s team indicated that the dire wolf dates back to prehistoric times and was native to the Americas before going extinct 13,000 years ago. They stressed that the produced animal is not a clone of the extinct species, but a genetic modification of the existing gray wolf using the well-known CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology.
 The center highlighted the environmental risks of such projects and their potential threat to the genetic diversity of native species. According to its experts, the genetic and behavioral traits of these modified creatures remain unknown, and their possible interbreeding with gray wolves could lead to the loss of original genetic lines, posing a danger to biodiversity.
 The center said that introducing a genetically modified species into the environment may disrupt the food chain, transmit diseases to other species, or affect them in unforeseen ways. It noted that the CRISPR-Cas9 technology is not new and has been used for decades in crops and domestic animals, but its application to an extinct wild species raises broad ethical questions about the limits of human intervention in nature.
 The center stressed the priority of conserving endangered species through more viable and scientifically grounded programs, rather than attempting to revive species extinct for thousands of years.
 It also noted that the company’s announcement lacked a peer-reviewed scientific paper, which is customary in similar projects, leaving the experiment's credibility uncertain.