The Dire Wolf Is Back After 10,000 Years
play god: to make decisions to create or end life, or cause dangerous changes to nature or the future
The dire wolf has been extinct for over 10,000 years. Weighing up to 68 kg and 1.8 meters in length, it was a powerful animal that could kill horses and bison. The US company Colossal says they have brought the dire wolf back “through the science of de-extinction.” They did so by studying the DNA taken from a 13,000-year-old tooth.
The company has created three of these animals in a hidden location to protect them. Some scientists say these animals are not true dire wolves. They are gray wolves that have been genetically modified with some dire wolf traits. They have white fur and strong jaws and are expected to grow larger than normal wolves.
Colossal is not stopping with dire wolves. They plan to resurrect woolly mammoths, dodo birds, and Tasmanian tigers. Critics warn that bringing back extinct animals like this is playing god. They think that interfering with evolution could lead to dangerous outcomes we can’t predict.
Sample sentences
Some people think artificial intelligence research is playing god. They worry that machines could become too powerful.
Changing a baby’s eye color before birth sounds like playing god to many people.
When scientists talk about growing organs in a lab, many worry that we are starting to play god.
Origin
The expression play god comes from the idea that only a god should control life and nature. People often use it when science makes it possible to change life, like with cloning or genetic engineering. It usually describes big, risky, or unethical decisions that affect the world or living things.
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Scientists say they have resurrected the dire wolf