Technologies

What De-Extinction Means for the Living World

With much controversy swirling around Colossal’s proxy dire wolves, we spoke with the company’s CEO to find out how these animals were created and what so-called de-extinction technology could mean for endangered species.

Some people will tell you that the dire wolves are back, while others will tell you they are not. Colossal Biosciences kicked off an avalanche of media coverage, including both hype and harsh criticism, when the company said it brought back dire wolves, an extinct species given renewed popularity by its role in the Game of Thrones franchise, using gene-editing and cloning technology.

We will discuss the details of what Colossal has accomplished, but this technology also raises a bigger question with wider-reaching implications: What does de-extinction mean for the living world and endangered species fighting for survival?

Proxy dire wolves

Three animals — two males named Romulus and Remus and a female named Khaleesi — are at the center of the controversy.

Colossal created the wolf pups by taking DNA from an existing species, the gray wolf, and making 20 edits to 14 genes designed to produce traits associated with the dire wolf: size, the color of their coats and more. The embryos were implanted into large dogs and reportedly delivered by a planned cesarean section.

Much of the debate around this issue has centered on whether gene-edited gray wolves can be accurately called «dire wolves» and if their creation can truly be considered «de-extinction.»

«It’s never gonna be possible to bring something back that’s genetically identical to a species that used to be around, and also a species is more than just its DNA,» said Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s chief science officer. «It’s the DNA interacting with the ecosystem, which also isn’t present.»

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature defines de-extinction as «the process of creating an organism that resembles an extinct species,» with the critical caveat that the term itself is misleading. Thinking of de-extinct versions of animals as a proxy for the original animals, rather than a faithful reproduction, adds some clarity to the conversation.

How Colossal’s de-extinction works

To understand how it works, look at the first gene-edited species Colossal announced: woolly mice. This demonstrates the company’s ability to make several gene edits at once.

«It’s the same genes that evolved in elephants and evolved in mice, but it was variants in those genes we know are compatible with a healthy mouse,» Shapiro said.

Colossal has produced about 38 woolly mice, and more are on the way. The mice are also reproducing.

Colossal seeks to answer some of the questions with its wooly mice include whether the edits will affect the mice’s ability to thrive in colder climates and the long-term effects of CRISPR gene editing at multiple sites in the animal’s genome.

Animal welfare

Colossal says it prioritizes the creation of healthy animals over things like editing the maximum number of genes or adding in genes exactly as they existed in extinct species. «Every edit carries some risk,» Shapiro said. «We did AI modeling of 3D protein folding, turning genes up and down slightly rather than changing them in some dramatic way.»

Even with precautions, Shapiro acknowledged things don’t always go according to plan. Khaleesi, Colossal’s female proxy dire wolf, had a sister who died at about day 10 due to an infection. «It was confirmed not to be a result of our editing,» Shapiro said.

Endangered species

Along with the proxy dire wolves, Colossal says it has cloned four endangered red wolves. The US Fish & Wildlife Service has estimated that fewer than 20 red wolves are left in the wild and about 270 are in captivity.

Colossal’s red wolf clones were made using genes from what the company is calling «ghost wolves,» a population of what were believed to be coyotes living in western Louisiana and eastern Texas that were revealed to have a significant portion of red wolf DNA.

Colossal CEO Ben Lamm says the clones «increased genetic diversity of the captive breeding pool by up to 25%.»

Lamm also highlighted the company’s pledge to make much of its de-extinction technologies available for free, including genetic rescue (adding genetic diversity to small at-risk populations), biobanking (preservation of biological samples) and cryo-freezing (cold storage of biological samples).

What’s next?

Questions and concerns still loom, many of which have been laid out by the IUCN, the same organization that provided Colossal’s working definition of de-extinction and acknowledged it as misleading.

Among the potential disadvantages to de-extinction raised by the IUCN is a possible decrease in support for preventing extinctions. If the public misbelieves that extinction is reversible due to the popularity of de-extinction in the news, could that promote apathy about ongoing conservation efforts?

Risk to animals, including those created by gene-editing and cloning, surrogate animals and any potential future offspring or hybrid species (even re-extinction), is also a concern.

Then there are the challenges of potential rewilding, its effects on the ecosystem, the potential for invasiveness of proxy species in their new environment and the risk of disease.

This brings us back to where we began, with the trio of proxy dire wolves who will live out their lives on a 2,000-acre preserve in an undisclosed location.

Check out the video in this article to see Colossal’s proxy dire wolves in action and hear our interviews with the company’s CEO and chief science officer.

Technologies

Fable Reboot Set for Fall 2026 as RPG Franchise Debuts on PS5

It’s a big world where you can do almost anything you want.

Microsoft held a Developer Direct on Thursday to focus on just a few games coming to the Xbox platform this year. One of the titles shown was the return of a once-dormant series.

Fable is a longtime Xbox exclusive that started back in 2004, and it’s been more than a decade since the last entry. Developed by Playground Games, best known for the Forza Horizon series, this new Fable game will expand on the roleplaying mechanics of the original to create an experience where players’ choices affect the world.

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When does Fable come out?

Fable is set to be released in autumn 2026.

What platforms will Fable be released on?

Fable is currently planned for PC, Xbox Series X and S consoles and PS5. This marks the first time the franchise will be available on a PlayStation. A Switch 2 version is reportedly under consideration.

Will Fable be available on Xbox Game Pass?

Yes. Fable will be a Day 1 release for Xbox Game Pass, meaning subscribers will be able to play for no extra cost on the day of release.

What is Fable?

Fable is an RPG franchise that started back in 2004 on the original Xbox. The concept behind the game, originally developed by famed developer Peter Molyneux and Lionhead Studios, was a world that would react to the player’s actions, whether it’s people shocked by the character’s evil deeds or individuals holding grudges for years over something the player did.

The last mainline entry of the Fable franchise came in 2010 with Fable 3 for the Xbox 360. There were multiple spinoffs since then, such as Fable Heroes, Fable Fortune, Fable Coin Golf and Fable: The Journey.

What’s the story of the new Fable?

Like with other Fable games, this new entry starts with the hero as a child. At some point early on, their hero powers emerge and, after a time jump, they become an adult. Where the hero goes will be up to the player, as there is no set path to take once they leave their village, where, one day, the inhabitants turn to stone.

The developer says there are more than 1,000 NPCs with their own personalities and routines, and that every town is functional, down to the exact number of beds for all the townfolk. Characters have jobs and their own schedules, which adds an extra dimension to these typically mundane, background characters.

Players can progress right through the story, or they can just live in a random town and stay there for as long as they want.

What kind of choices will players be able to make in Fable?

There will be plenty of decisions to make in Fable, from buying a home, getting a job or romancing a villager. Players can start a business, hire villagers to work for them, or buy property to rent out.

Every decision made earns the hero a reputation, such as being a rich tycoon, and villagers will have their own unique reaction to that reputation. This means not every character will view your character the same way. There will also be choices made that can affect the world.

One example the developer noted was a character who developed a magic potion that could change a person’s size. This character will eventually grow into a giant, and depending on the player’s decision, can die outside of the village. Leaving the giant’s body there can provoke reactions from the townfolk, including a drop in home prices.

Technologies

Google Photos Adds AI-Powered Meme Creation With ‘Me Meme’

Meme it up with photos of your cat, or your friend, or whatever funny photos your camera roll holds.

Do you have a great cat photo you just know could go viral? Google’s new AI feature, Me Meme, lets Google Photos turn photographs into memes, those sassy captioned photos that sometimes express the exact right sentiment. Choose a Google template, then upload your own funny photo, and AI will transform it into a meme.

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To use Me Meme:

On your device, open the Google Photos app.
At the bottom, tap Create and then Me Meme.
Select a template.
Tap Add photo.
Select the photo you want to upload.
Tap Generate.
After the meme is generated:

To save the meme: Tap Save.
To generate again: Tap Regenerate.
To share on other platforms: Tap Share.

I have a Google Pixel 9, and while my Photos app is up to date, the option didn’t appear for me as of Friday.

At CES 2026, Google executive Sameer Samat told CNET that the company wanted to make its AI tools, including Nano Banana and Gemini, more useful. While meme-making might not be the most practical AI use, it is something anyone can try.

A representative for Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Jan. 24, #958

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Jan. 24 #958.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is a bit challenging, especially the purple category, as always. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Think Muhammad Ali.

Green group hint: We won!

Blue group hint: Fashion element.

Purple group hint: Winter weather.