Same Lab That "Revived" the Dire Wolf Made Mammoth-Coated Mice — Critics Call It a Trick Again

The quiet part of Colossal Biosciences’ “de-extinction” story is that its mammoth mice are still mice—and its dire wolf pups began as gray wolves; this briefing separates the biology from the branding. It explains how seven gene edits produced mammoth-like coat and metabolic traits without inserting mammoth DNA, and why 20 edits across 14 genes created engineered wolf proxies rather than proven extinct species. You’ll see what the woolly mouse experiment actually demonstrates, what ancient DNA reconstruction can and cannot prove, and why critics call the headline a trick while acknowledging the underlying gene-editing results are real.