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UNCOVERED: 2 - Caught on Camera

Gene editing technology could be used to save species on the brink of extinction

Earth’s biodiversity is in crisis. An imminent “sixth mass extinction” threatens beloved and important wildlife. It also threatens to reduce the amount of genetic diversity – or variation – within species.

The Conversation

Why giant moa — a bird that once towered over humans — are even harder to de-extinct than dire wolves

Colossal Biosciences has announced a partnership to resurrect giant flightless birds called moa. But the company's recent dire wolf project was controversial, and moa are an even more ambitious target for de-extinction.

LiveScience

Peter Jackson makes career admission after not making a feature film for 11 years

Director said he is ‘more excited’ about his scientific project that seeks to ‘de-extinct’ the Moa bird

The Independent UK

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Scientists try to bring 12-foot tall giant bird back from 600-year extinction

Lord of the Rings filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson, who is funding the ‘de-extinction’ project, says the successful reintroduction of the giant mao bird would be a dream

The Independent UK

It’s 12ft tall, covered in feathers and has been extinct for 600 years – can the giant moa bird really be resurrected?

Colossal Bioscience is adding the extinct animal to its revival wishlist, joining the woolly mammoth, dodo and thylacine. But scepticism is growing

The Guardian - UK

'We're bringing back avian dinosaurs': De-extinction company claims it will resurrect the giant moa in next 10 years

The South Island giant moa could be the next species that biotech company Colossal Biosciences "brings back" from extinction — but experts say the result will not and "cannot be" a moa.

LiveScience

First the dire wolf, now NZ’s giant moa: why real ‘de-extinction’ is unlikely to fly

The announcement that New Zealand’s moa nunui (giant moa) is the next “de-extinction” target for Colossal Biosciences, in partnership with Canterbury Museum, the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre and filmmaker Peter Jackson, caused widespread alarm among scientists.

The Conversation

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Dire Wolf's Return Could Be Followed by Moa's Revival—A 12-Ft. Flightless Bird Extinct for 600 Years

Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences, the company behind the dire wolf's resurrection, could soon bring back another extinct animal.

International Business Times UK

Lord of the Rings director backs de-extinction project

Filmmaker Peter Jackson's fascination with a large extinct New Zealand bird has led to an unusual partnership with a biotech company known for its grand and controversial plans to bring back lost species

The Independent UK

Why are we so obsessed with bringing back the woolly mammoth?

In just the last several months, de-extinction — bringing back extinct species by recreating them or organisms that resemble them — has moved closer from science fiction to science fact. Colossal Biosciences — an American for-profit de-extinction startup headed by geneticists George Church and Beth Shapiro — announced two major…

The Conversation

'Jurassic World Rebirth' Perfectly Captures One of Science’s Biggest Ethical Dilemmas

Should we make dinosaurs? How about extinct species? 'Jurassic World Rebirth' faces this question sort of head on — and the experts have very clear answers.

Inverse

Beyond de-extinction and dire wolves, gene editing can help today’s endangered species

Have you been hearing about the dire wolf lately? Maybe you saw a massive white wolf on the cover of Time magazine or a photo of “Game of Thrones” author George R.R. Martin holding a puppy named after a character from his books.

The Conversation

Is Colossal Biosciences the Real-Life Jurassic Park?

When you hear about a company actively working to bring back extinct animals using genetic science, your mind probably jumps to one place: Jurassic Park. The iconic gates, the majestic (and terrifying) dinosaurs, and the tagline that promised a walk with prehistory are permanently etched in our cultural DNA.

International Business Times

If it looks like a dire wolf, is it a dire wolf? How to define a species is a scientific and philosophical question

Biotech company Colossal Biosciences made headlines in April 2025 after claiming it had “successfully restored … the dire wolf to its rightful place in the ecosystem.” Three wolf pups – Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi – were born through this de-extinction project.

The Conversation

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LiveScience

'Our animals are gray wolves': Colossal didn't de-extinct dire wolves, chief scientist clarifies

Colossal Biosciences' chief scientist has clarified that its "dire wolves" are just genetically modified gray wolves following a backlash to the "de-extinction" label it put on them.

LiveScience

Colossal's de-extinction campaign is built on a semantic house of cards with shoddy foundations — and the consequences are dire

"Dire wolves" created by Colossal Biosciences were pegged as "the first animals in history to be brought back from extinction." But that all depends on your definition of de-extinction — and Colossal's definition isn't the same as everyone else's.

International Business Times

Colossal's Dire Wolf De-Extinction: The Science Behind the Breakthrough

Colossal's de-extinction process involved a sophisticated fusion of ancient DNA analysis, CRISPR gene editing, and reproductive technologies.

Salon

"De-extincting" species is a distraction

"De-extinction" takes center stage as environmentalists express dismay over erosion of the Endangered Species Act

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The Conversation

Colossal Bioscience’s attempt to de-extinct the dire wolf is a dangerously deceptive publicity stunt

Colossal Biosciences, a Texas-based biotech company, made headlines this April after falsely claiming to resurrect the extinct dire wolf. The company presents this as a breakthrough for conservation biology. However, our team of conservation geneticists at the Western University — along with many other academics views it as a dangerous…

LiveScience

Recent findings indicate that dire wolves and gray wolves are distantly related, having diverged about 5.7 million years ago and, as far as scientists can tell, never interbred since then.

The Independent UK

Have dire wolves been brought back from extinction? Not quite

Wolf conservationists say the truly dire matter is protecting America’s wild gray wolves — but that’s not as cute and cuddly for the headlines

The Conversation

‘De-extinction’ of dire wolves promotes false hope: technology can’t undo extinction

Over the past week, the media have been inundated with news of the “de-extinction” of the dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) – a species that went extinct about 13,000 years ago.

The Conversation

If we must bring back extinct species, let’s focus on the giant herbivores

The American genetic engineering firm Colossal Biosciences recently announced to much fanfare it had “de-extincted” the dire wolf, a canine species that was wiped out around 10,000 years ago. However, the three animals it presented are actually modern grey wolves with some genetic modifications.

The Guardian - UK

Why resurrect the dire wolf when existing animals are facing extinction?

It’s not as sensational as recreating long-dead species, but conserving modern-day fauna is far more pressing

The Guardian - UK

Have researchers really ‘de-extincted’ the dire wolf? No, but behind the hype was a genuine breakthrough

The pups are cute – and great for PR – but they’re modified grey wolves. The real work is being done with their red cousins, says science writer Helen Pilcher

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