Resurrecting Legends: Dire Wolves, Science, and the Ethics of De-Extinction

In this wild and speculative bonus episode of Neural Newscast, hosts Stephen Summers and Miriam Keller explore the cutting-edge efforts to revive the dire wolf—once the stuff of legend, now inching toward scientific reality. With a blend of pop culture, bioethics, and real-world biotech, this episode unpacks one of the most fascinating intersections of fiction and science.

In this episode:

🧬 Colossal Biosciences’ bold new project: Breeding pups with traits of the extinct dire wolf, as covered by NPR
⚖️ The ethics of ‘playing God’ in biotechnology and conservation
🐺 George R. R. Martin’s real-life encounter with modern dire wolves—and its impact on his work
🧠 Sci-fi meets science: How imagination fuels innovation, and vice versa
🔍 Scientific American’s analysis on why de-extinction might not be as literal—or beneficial—as it seems
🌍 Broader implications for conservation, ethics, and the future of synthetic biology

Featuring expert insights from NPR, USA Today, and Scientific American, this episode is a howling good look at where science fiction stops and science begins.

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