Further thoughts on the Dire Wolf

I went to Youtube to see what else was being said about the Dire Wolf.  The consensus seemed to be to take what the scientists said about how they made up the Dire Wolf, i.e., using as much actual Dire Wolf genetic material as they had, and then using a similar species, the wolf to make up what was missing.

I suppose I made some mental jumps.  I went past such quibbles without pausing.  But, now, moving back and looking at them, I ask, why would we want to bring back into existence a species that precisely uses a habitat that we destroyed ages ago?  Look out!  The way to the La Brea Tar Pits is thoroughly clogged with people nowadays.  

We don’t, but if we had the capability, we should modify the genetics of any species which was once solely dependent upon a habitat that no longer exists.  I’m not arguing that the scientists who created the animal that they are terming the Dire Wolf should have done that.  From what they described they don’t have the capability.  They don’t have the genetic material to accurately create the Dire Wolf.  As an acceptable alternative, they used as much Dire Wolf genetic material as they had and supplemented it with the genetic material of the closest species genetically available.

So, rather than celebrate the great achievement of Colossal, some are choosing to quibble about terms, criticizing the logic of calling something by the task designation: Dire Wolf, when they didn’t achieve it 100%.  The scientists were undoubtedly proud of their achievement.  Not us though, we’d rather quibble about what to call it.

I read someplace else that we are attempting to modify the genetics of some individuals so that they can endure the radiation they would be exposed to in travel to other planets.  Wonderful! Now let the scientists alone who want to enable the species they are calling Dire Wolf to have genetics sufficient to permit them to live on this one.