It's still impressive, but they only changed 14 genes. These are much more wolf than dire wolf.
this post was submitted on 07 Apr 2025
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Genuine question. How many genes were different in the original dir wolf?
Also elsewhere said 20 genes were changed. But I've no reason to consider that source better then yours.
Ancient DNA is pretty degraded, so it's hard to get an exact number. It's estimated they diverged more than 5 million years ago, so it's probably hundreds or thousands of different genes.
Scientists rewrote 14 key genes in gray wolf EPC cells to express 20 dire wolf traits meaning that "no ancient dire wolf DNA was actually spliced into the gray wolf's genome."
Thanks.
Also thanks for pointing out I mixed genes and traits. Was a video I saw so me missing it makes perfect sense.
Yep, still pretty much sleazy clickbait hype. I guess actually reproducing the whole genome was too expensive.
Not only that, but grey wolves aren't even the closest related existing species, and some scientists that work at Colossal wrote the study saying as much. If you want to call it a new species, sure, I could see it, but a dire wolf it is not
Wait, which one is? Dogs?
African Jackals are closest based on what I have seen. Dire wolves and north American canids might share a common ancestor, though
They separated pretty far back, so they're about equally related to jackals, dogs, wild dogs, various wolf species, and coyotes.
why tf would you name a dire wolf Khaleesi?
Because they only qremember 3 points about the show.
Dire wolves where in it,
And the 2 on Khaleesi.