Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
There's a lot of buzz about Colossal, but in my research I've found many cases where their business and marketing interests appear to conflict with their own safety guidelines or scientific principles established not long ago by the chief of science, Dr. Beth Shapiro.
This company is doing interesting work, and sure to keep making waves. My research has helped me understand better the company, the directions it's likely to go in, and the conflicts and dangers that might arise.
00:00 Why did they pick the dire wolf?
01:24 Dire Wolf Husbandry Manual
03:12 Prioritizing pop culture over science
04:41 The right species for de-extinction
05:54 The dodo case study
07:44 The dire wolf case study
08:33 The Colossal PR machine
09:37 Conclusion
Dire Wolf Husbandry Manual: colossal.com/wp-content/themes/colossal/Dire_Wolf_Husbandry_Manual.pdf#page=9.12
Works cited
Kluger, Jeffrey. 2025 “The Return of the Dire Wolf | TIME.” Accessed April 17, 2025. time.com/7274542/colossal-dire-wolf/.
Marcus, Amy Dockser. 2018 “Meet the Scientists Bringing Extinct Species Back From the Dead - WSJ.” Accessed April 17, 2025. wsj.com/articles/meet-the-scientists-bringing-extinct-species-back-from-the-dead-1539093600.
Martin, George R.R. 2025 “D-Day Comes Early | Not a Blog.” Accessed April 17, 2025. georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2025/04/08/d-day-comes-early/.
Max, D. T. 2025. “The Dire Wolf Is Back.” The New Yorker, April 7, 2025. newyorker.com/magazine/2025/04/14/the-dire-wolf-is-back.
McKenzie, Jessica. 2025. “Dire Wolf, or Colossal Misrepresentation?” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (blog). April 10, 2025. thebulletin.org/2025/04/dire-wolf-or-colossal-misrepresentation/.
Shapiro, Beth. 2020. How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction. Princeton University Press. doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvz0h8r9.
Snider, Mike. 2025 “The Dire Wolf Is Back. Or Is It? Colossal Defends Its Science amid Critics.” USA TODAY. Accessed April 16, 2025. usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/04/15/dire-wolf-pups-extinct-brought-back/83049186007/.
Vergano, Dan. 2025 “The Dire Wolf Hoopla Hides the Real Story: How to Save Red Wolves.” Scientific American. Accessed April 16, 2025. scientificamerican.com/article/the-dire-wolf-hoopla-hides-the-real-story-how-to-save-red-wolves/.
There's a lot of buzz about Colossal, but in my research I've found many cases where their business and marketing interests appear to conflict with their own safety guidelines or scientific principles established not long ago by the chief of science, Dr. Beth Shapiro.
This company is doing interesting work, and sure to keep making waves. My research has helped me understand better the company, the directions it's likely to go in, and the conflicts and dangers that might arise.
00:00 Why did they pick the dire wolf?
01:24 Dire Wolf Husbandry Manual
03:12 Prioritizing pop culture over science
04:41 The right species for de-extinction
05:54 The dodo case study
07:44 The dire wolf case study
08:33 The Colossal PR machine
09:37 Conclusion
Dire Wolf Husbandry Manual: colossal.com/wp-content/themes/colossal/Dire_Wolf_Husbandry_Manual.pdf#page=9.12
Works cited
Kluger, Jeffrey. 2025 “The Return of the Dire Wolf | TIME.” Accessed April 17, 2025. time.com/7274542/colossal-dire-wolf/.
Marcus, Amy Dockser. 2018 “Meet the Scientists Bringing Extinct Species Back From the Dead - WSJ.” Accessed April 17, 2025. wsj.com/articles/meet-the-scientists-bringing-extinct-species-back-from-the-dead-1539093600.
Martin, George R.R. 2025 “D-Day Comes Early | Not a Blog.” Accessed April 17, 2025. georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2025/04/08/d-day-comes-early/.
Max, D. T. 2025. “The Dire Wolf Is Back.” The New Yorker, April 7, 2025. newyorker.com/magazine/2025/04/14/the-dire-wolf-is-back.
McKenzie, Jessica. 2025. “Dire Wolf, or Colossal Misrepresentation?” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (blog). April 10, 2025. thebulletin.org/2025/04/dire-wolf-or-colossal-misrepresentation/.
Shapiro, Beth. 2020. How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction. Princeton University Press. doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvz0h8r9.
Snider, Mike. 2025 “The Dire Wolf Is Back. Or Is It? Colossal Defends Its Science amid Critics.” USA TODAY. Accessed April 16, 2025. usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/04/15/dire-wolf-pups-extinct-brought-back/83049186007/.
Vergano, Dan. 2025 “The Dire Wolf Hoopla Hides the Real Story: How to Save Red Wolves.” Scientific American. Accessed April 16, 2025. scientificamerican.com/article/the-dire-wolf-hoopla-hides-the-real-story-how-to-save-red-wolves/.
