Published April 21, 2025
The recent announcement by Colossal Biosciences that the company had brought an extinct species, the dire wolf, back into existence predictably brought to mind Jurassic Park. At a more sophisticated philosophical level, debates swirl about whether the three wolf cubs are really dire wolves or whether they are simply modified forms of the gray wolf that just happen to be genetically closer to their extinct cousins. Regardless of the answer to that question, a further issue connects to how the retrieval of dead species, the modification of living species, or the creation of new species will affect the broader ecosystem.
For example, will the arrival of a new type of predator have unintended consequences for the environment? I am old enough to remember red squirrels being common in the England of my early childhood. They are today rare indeed since the arrival and spread of the larger grey squirrel, now officially listed in Europe as an invasive species. Perhaps bringing back to life one long-gone animal might lead to the extinction of others? It is hard to predict, but the equilibrium of ecosystems is easy to disturb, as the case of the grey squirrel indicates.
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Carl R. Trueman is a fellow in EPPC’s Evangelicals in Civic Life Program, where his work focuses on helping civic leaders and policy makers better understand the deep roots of our current cultural malaise. In addition to his scholarship on the intellectual foundations of expressive individualism and the sexual revolution, Trueman is also interested in the origins, rise, and current use of critical theory by progressives. He serves as a professor at Grove City College.
