Trans-Direism
Recently, I wrote a controversial email to our Inner Circle pack members laying out the case that Colossal Biosciences' so-called "dire wolves" are nothing more than trans-direism.
In an effort of full transparency, I then decided to write out a possible articulate reply to my argument. The following is a counter-argument to my trans-direism claim, writing as if I were 100% in favor of identifying Colossal Biosciences' genetically modified gray wolves as resurrected dire wolves.
ARGUMENT FOR "resurrected dire wolf" identification
Let’s get one thing straight: science is not a nostalgia club. It's not here to preserve old labels in amber or debate semantics like we’re arguing over expired coupons. It’s here to solve problems, push boundaries, and apply what we learn to the real world.
So yes, Colossal’s animals are not carbon copies of Aenocyon dirus. No one ever said they had perfectly preserved fossil DNA or a working time machine. That’s not the claim. The claim is functional equivalency—something anyone with a working understanding of ecology and biology should recognize as valid and scientifically sound.
The animals Colossal is developing are designed to fill the same ecological role as the dire wolf once did. They share key morphological traits, behavioral instincts, and genetic components that allow them to operate in the same biological niche. That’s the point. That’s the goal. And frankly, it’s impressive.
Now, the comparison to transgenderism? Completely inappropriate and scientifically irrelevant. This isn’t about personal identity or social constructs—it’s about measurable traits, environmental impact, and engineered design. If you want to argue about cultural issues, take it to a sociology class. This is a science discussion.
And let’s not pretend the definition of “species” is some universal constant. Taxonomy has always been a shifting framework. Darwin said it, Linnaeus dealt with it, and every evolutionary biologist since has had to wrestle with it. Species are often defined by overlapping criteria—morphology, behavior, reproductive isolation, genetics—and even those don’t always agree. That’s not opinion. That’s biology.
Colossal is working within the same system every scientist works within. They’re not breaking the rules—they’re applying them in a new and innovative way. That’s what science does. That’s how science evolves.
And really—if an animal shares over 20 gene edits with a dire wolf, looks like a dire wolf, behaves like a dire wolf, and fills the same role in the ecosystem, then yes—it’s functionally a dire wolf. If you want to keep gatekeeping that title because it didn’t come out of a frozen cave in South Dakota, then maybe it’s time to admit your argument is based on sentimentality, not science.
So let’s stop with the pearl-clutching and deal with the facts. Because in this discussion, facts don’t care about your feelings—or your fossils.
Of course, I cannot allow that to be the final word. Oh no! For logic demands the truth. Therefore, here is the next reply I would make to such a claim as the above.
ARGUMENT AGAINST "resurrected dire wolf" identification
What you just heard was the verbal equivalent of genetically engineering a mane on a house cat and calling it a lion.
Let’s get something straight: function does not equal identity. A chihuahua and a grey wolf can both bark, wag, chase, and be pets, but no one is calling a chihuahua a mini Ice Age predator.
Colossal Biosciences argues that if their bio-concoction looks, acts, and hunts like a dire wolf, it is one. But that’s science cosplay, not resurrection. That’s anthropocentric posturing dressed up in CRISPR.
Just because your creature might wear the morphological mask of a dire wolf does not mean it carries the internal legacy—the genomic soul, if you will—of the Aenocyon dirus. The real dire wolf, the one that stalked Smilodon, whose howl echoed through Beringian valleys and La Brea tar pits, has an entirely separate genetic lineage from Canis lupus. That fact was published and peer-reviewed in 2021, when DNA analysis proved that dire wolves diverged from the wolf family tree over 5 million years ago. They are as related to modern wolves as humans are to orangutans.
While marketed as a resurrected apex predator, Colossal’s current specimens are no more than genetically modified gray wolves (Canis lupus) exhibiting possible significant craniofacial abnormalities—specifically, severe malocclusions and pronounced overbites. These structural flaws are not minor imperfections; if present, they are functionally debilitating and would be strongly selected against in a natural environment. In short, an animal incapable of effective prey capture cannot viably fulfill the ecological role of an apex predator. Such anatomical issues are not consistent with what we know of Aenocyon dirus, whose fossil record shows robust and functional morphology suited for large-prey hunting.
More troubling, however, is the claim that these animals were developed using a fully sequenced dire wolf genome.
As of today, there is no publicly available, peer-reviewed, complete genome of Aenocyon dirus. The most comprehensive study to date—published in Nature (Perri et al., 2021)—demonstrated that dire wolves are not closely related to gray wolves. Their lineages diverged over 5.5 million years ago, prior to the appearance of mammoths, and they do not share a recent common ancestor. In fact, the study firmly placed dire wolves in a distinct genus separate from Canis, highlighting the deep evolutionary chasm between the two.
Given this divergence, any comparison of dire wolf DNA to that of gray wolves is problematic. A claim of “99.5% similarity” to Canis lupus raises critical questions: What reference genome is being used? Which regions of ancient DNA are being compared? And what degree of inference or AI-based extrapolation is guiding the assembly of these sequences?
It is reasonable to suspect that computational modeling—using the gray wolf genome as a scaffold—is filling in the large gaps in highly fragmented ancient DNA. While such methods can be useful, they must be disclosed, peer-reviewed, and validated through reproducible science. Without transparency, these claims remain speculative at best.
Currently, Colossal has not published its full genomic methodology, nor has it submitted its results to peer-reviewed journals for independent verification. Instead, the public has been offered stylized promotional materials, digital renderings, and generalized statements designed more for media engagement than scientific scrutiny.
Key Concerns:
- Lack of a verified dire wolf genome: There is no independently confirmed, full genome published in a peer-reviewed journal.
- Physical deformities: Any structural abnormalities in their specimens would likely be maladaptive in the wild, undermining claims of ecological restoration.
- Proprietary secrecy: Without open data and peer-reviewed publications, the scientific community cannot evaluate their methods or results.
- Misleading terminology: Labeling these animals as “dire wolves” misrepresents their true genetic and evolutionary identity.
True science thrives on transparency, rigorous methodology, and peer critique. If Colossal Biosciences has genuinely developed a functional genomic recreation of Aenocyon dirus, then the burden of proof lies with them—to publish, to allow replication, and to demonstrate ecological validity through survival in non-curated environments.
Until such standards are met, we must remain cautious and critical.
Because de-extinction, if it is to be a meaningful scientific endeavor, must be based on integrity—not speculation.
And science, unlike spectacle, does not fear scrutiny.
So let's for now we will call it what it is:
A wolf in dire clothing.
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