Studying the Dire Wolf genome also allowed the colossal team to find out which features distinguished an age-old wolf from contemporary relatives. They settled on the features covering the size, muscles, hair color, hair consistency, hair length and calibration of the coat. Then they used the edition of the genes to change the genes of cells from the closest living relative of the wolf, a gray wolf. In total, the company made 20 unique editions of up to 14 genes in the Gray Wolf genome. Of these, 15 were to recreate extinct variants of genes, tragic wolves. Colossal claims that this is a record number of unique genetic editions made to every animal.
But the genome of the tragic wolf is still almost identical to the Gray Wolf gene. This raises a tough question: does these wolves really tragic wolves or just editing the genes of gray wolves? Lamm of course says that animals are tragic wolves. “We call them tragic wolves,” he says. “It is interesting that a specialty is an area where scientists cannot agree.” The species is often defined by combining genetic and physically noticeable features, including teeth and shape, size and color of their body.
George Church, a professor of genetics at the Harvard University, who co -founded Lamm, says that the goal is to ultimately produce an animal with a full genome of an extinct, poisonous wolf. “In the meantime, we prioritize all the features that actually define the species,” he says.
Shapiro also claims that Edyta is significant enough to name up-to-date Dire Wolves animals. “If we manage to look at this animal and see what he does, and it looks like a terrible wolf and behaves like a tragic wolf, I call it a tragic wolf. And my colleagues who are taxonomists do not agree with me.”
David Jachowski, Professor of Protection at the University of Clemson in southern Carolina, says that there is a “certain subjectivity by nature” when it comes to defining species and that the role that the animal plays an animal in the ecosystem can be as significant as its genetics. There is also a “great marketing value for the protection of wild nature” to announce folding species, says Jachowski, who did not know the detailed details about the Dire Wolf project.
To make a tragic wolf, Colossal began with blood drawn from a gray wolf. Working on a type of blood cells called the epithelial progenitor cell, the team edited the DNA to get better with the Dire Wolf genome. Then they took the genetic material from this cell and placed it in the cell of a domesticated dog’s eggs, which was removed with genetic material. When the egg developed into the embryo, it was implanted into a replacement dog.
Eight surrogates and an average of 45 surrogate embryos to get strict wolf puppies. Two surrogates gave birth to Romulus and Remus, and the third was produced by Khaleesi. Five embrying transfers did not cause successful pregnancies. The second woman was born in January with Khaleesi, but died after 10 days of intestinal infection.