Last week, Colossal Biosciences revealed that they had brought back the Dire Wolf from extinction through the science of genetic engineering. This created quite the kerfuffle online, as everyone wanted to weigh in on the scientific data and on the ethical implications this kind of engineering can present. I saw several references to the Jurassic Park movie franchise in many peoples' criticism of it. Especially the quote from Dr Ian Malcolm (portrayed by Jeff Goldblum) " ....your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should.". There are also questions as whether or not this CAN be considered the return of a species that went extinct over 12,000 years ago. The DNA was extracted from some fossils and then spliced with the genome of a grey wolf. So, it could be argued that these are not actually Dire Wolves, but a unique genetically engineered hybrid. This still raises a lot of ethical questions.
Putting these arguments aside for a moment, we do have some excellent books about Dire Wolves and the contemporary Grey Wolf (which are still considered endangered in several States) here at the San Jose Public Library.
Dire Wolves:
Wolves:
Books About Wolves (For Kids):
I would be remiss not to mention that the author/creator of A Song of Ice and Fire series, George RR Martin, was one of the first people who was able to meet these new Dire Wolves. The Dire Wolf is the symbol of House Stark in Martin's epic series of novels A Song of Ice and Fire, of which The Game of Thrones is the first book.
The Game Of Thrones:
A Game of Thrones, the Graphic Novel
Final Thoughts:
- The new Dire Wolf pups are named Romulus and Remus (mythological reference to the twin founders of Rome who were suckled by a She-Wolf). The newest pup is named Khaleesi (A Game of Thrones reference).
- The first howls of these pups are the most adorable thing ever!
- A part of me is tempted to go running off into the woods, and howl along with a wolf pack.
- When I was a girl in Northern Michigan, a wolf followed me home from school. We shared a KitKat chocolate bar. My Mom would not let me keep him because he was a wolf, and we're not supposed to let wild animals inside the house. (to which I should've replied "But you let me live here").
- This interaction between me and a wolf led to me being nicknamed "Little Red Riding Hood" for awhile. (I also had some interactions with bears back in those days too, which led to me being nicknamed "Goldilocks").
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