Dire Wolves vs. Endangered Species: Gene Editing Focus
- The dire wolf has been in the news recently, with mentions in Time magazine and on social media.
- While the biological and philosophical debates are engaging, the legal ramifications for endangered species conservation are of paramount importance.As a legal scholar with a Ph.D. in wildlife genetics,...
- Colossal sequenced DNA from Ice Age-era bones to understand the genetic makeup of the dire wolf, piecing together about 90% of a complete genome.While the gray wolf and...
Explore the legal implications of reviving extinct species like the dire wolf, particularly concerning endangered species conservation. Biotech companies use gene editing to bring back ancient creatures, sparking debates about what truly defines an “endangered species” and how this impacts wildlife. This deep dive examines the role of CRISPR technology, the nuances of the Endangered Species Act, and whether modified gray wolves can truly be considered dire wolves. Discover how experts navigate the complex intersection of de-extinction and conservation law. News Directory 3 provides insights into these evolving challenges for policymakers.Discover what’s next …
The Legal Ramifications of De-Extinction
The dire wolf has been in the news recently, with mentions in Time magazine and on social media. Biotech company Colossal claims to have resurrected the large, wolflike species, which went extinct about 12,000 years ago, using cloning and gene-editing technologies. Colossal calls itself a “de-extinction” company, but the concept of de-extinction is controversial, with critics raising concerns about playing God and creating poor imitations of truly resurrected species.
While the biological and philosophical debates are engaging, the legal ramifications for endangered species conservation are of paramount importance.As a legal scholar with a Ph.D. in wildlife genetics, my work focuses on how we legally define the term “endangered species.” The use of biotechnology for conservation, whether for de-extinction or genetic augmentation of existing species, promises solutions to or else intractable problems. But it needs to work in harmony with both the letter and purpose of the laws governing biodiversity conservation.
Of dire wolves and de-extinction
Colossal sequenced DNA from Ice Age-era bones to understand the genetic makeup of the dire wolf, piecing together about 90% of a complete genome.While the gray wolf and the dire wolf are separated by a few million years of evolution, they share over 99.5% of thier genomes.
The scientists scanned the recovered dire wolf sequences for specific genes that they believed were responsible for the physical and ecological differences between dire wolves and other species of canids, including genes related to body size and coat color. CRISPR gene-editing technology allows scientists to make specific changes in the DNA of an organism. The Colossal team used CRISPR to make 20 changes in 14 different genes in a modern gray wolf cell before implanting the embryo into a surrogate mother.
Some commentators argue that the resulting animals are just modified gray wolves, pointing out that it would take far more than 20 edits to bridge the gap left by millions of years of evolution. For instance, that 0.5% of the genome that doesn’t match in the two species represents over 12 million base pair differences.
Other skeptics argue that a species is more than a collection of genes devoid of environmental, ecological or evolutionary context.
Colossal maintains that it is in the “functional de-extinction” game and wants to recreate something that looks and acts like the dire wolf of old, following the “if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck” school of speciation.
Disagreements about taxonomy are as old as the field itself.Biologists are notorious for failing to adopt a single clear definition of “species,” and there are dozens of competing definitions in the biological literature.
Biologists can afford to be flexible and imprecise when the stakes are merely a conversational misunderstanding.Lawyers and policymakers, on the other hand, do not have that luxury.
Deciding what counts as an endangered ‘species’
In the United States, the Endangered Species Act is the main tool…
What’s next
the Endangered Species Act is the main tool…