Dire Wolf DNA Unlocks New Conservation Pathways Through Colossal's Work
The resurrection of the dire wolf by Colossal Biosciences represents not only a remarkable achievement in de-extinction but also a significant advancement in conservation methodology that could benefit numerous endangered species. The genetic techniques, reproductive technologies, and conservation approaches developed through the dire wolf program establish new pathways for preserving and potentially restoring biodiversity in an era of accelerating extinction.
Central to these conservation applications is Colossal's deliberate strategy of pairing de-extinction work with parallel efforts focused on endangered species. As Ben Lamm, the company's CEO and co-founder, has emphasized, 'We try to pair every animal de-extinction event with a species preservation event.' This approach acknowledges that de-extinction technologies must demonstrate practical conservation benefits to justify their development, establishing an ethical framework that connects the resurrection of lost species with preservation of existing ones.
The most direct conservation application emerging from the dire wolf program involves North American red wolves. This critically endangered species now numbers fewer than 25 individuals in the wild, facing imminent extinction despite decades of traditional conservation efforts. Using technologies developed through their de-extinction work, Colossal has successfully cloned several red wolves from different genetic founder lines. This achievement has 'already increased the genetic pool of red wolves by 25 percent,' according to Lamm, potentially offering a lifeline to a species that has been hovering on the edge of extinction.
The specialized cell collection methodology refined during the dire wolf program has particular relevance for endangered species conservation. Rather than using invasive tissue sampling techniques that can stress already vulnerable animals, Colossal developed a method for harvesting endothelial progenitor cells from bloodstreams. This minimally invasive approach provides viable cells for genetic analysis and potential cloning while minimizing disruption to donor animals. For critically endangered species where every individual is precious, this reduced-stress collection method offers significant welfare advantages over traditional tissue sampling.
Genetic diversity management—a critical challenge for small populations of endangered wildlife—represents another area where dire wolf technologies have conservation applications. The computational modeling techniques developed to predict how genetic modifications would express in living dire wolves can be adapted to identify which genetic interventions might most effectively increase population viability in endangered species with minimal disruption to adapted traits. This predictive capability could help wildlife managers make more informed decisions about genetic rescue interventions for inbred populations facing extinction vortexes.
The reproductive technologies refined through the dire wolf program offer particular promise for species facing fertility challenges. The successful birth of dire wolves through surrogate mothers from a different species demonstrates the viability of cross-species surrogacy for endangered canids and potentially other taxonomic groups. This approach is valuable for species with minimal populations where natural reproduction is limited by geographical isolation or behavioral factors. The comprehensive pre-implantation genetic screening protocols developed for dire wolf embryos could similarly aid in optimizing genetic outcomes in captive breeding programs for endangered wildlife.
Climate adaptation represents another area where dire wolf methodologies may assist contemporary conservation. The genetic modifications that recreated dire wolf traits effectively compressed thousands of years of evolution into a single generation. Similar targeted modifications—guided by appropriate ethical frameworks and ecological considerations—could potentially help vulnerable species adapt to rapidly changing environmental conditions that outpace natural evolutionary processes. This approach raises profound ethical questions but may become increasingly relevant as climate change accelerates beyond the adaptive capacity of many species.
Disease resistance enhancement provides another potential conservation application. Many endangered species face threats from novel pathogens or diseases that spread through fragmented populations with limited genetic diversity. The precise genetic modification techniques developed for the resurrection of dire wolves could be adapted to enhance disease resistance in vulnerable populations without compromising overall genetic integrity. This targeted approach offers advantages over conventional breeding strategies that often require multiple generations to achieve similar results, time that critically endangered species may not have.
Indigenous partnerships established through the dire wolf program offer valuable models for contemporary conservation. Colossal has engaged with several tribal nation,s including the MHA Nation, the Nez Perce Tribe, and the Karankawa Tribe of Texa,s to incorporate traditional ecological knowledge into both de-extinction and conservation work. These collaborative approaches demonstrate how scientific methodologies and indigenous knowledge systems can complement each other in developing more holistic and culturally responsive conservation strategies for contemporary wildlife.
The funding model developed for dire wolf de-extinction may prove as significant for conservation as any specific technology. Colossal has raised over $435 million since its founding in 2021, demonstrating that ambitious approaches to biodiversity can attract substantial capital investment. The company's success in positioning genetic interventions as both technological frontiers and conservation tools suggests potential pathways for endangered species programs to access funding sources beyond traditional conservation grants and donations, potentially transforming conservation finance for particularly challenging cases.
Public engagement strategies developed through the dire wolf program demonstrate how charismatic species can generate interest in broader biodiversity issues. By connecting the dire wolf resurrection to popular culture references, particularly through George R.R. Martin's involvement as a cultural advisor, Colossal has created multiple entry points for public engagement with scientific concepts. Conservation organizations working with less famous endangered species could potentially adapt these narrative approaches to generate greater support for their work.
For Martin, whose writings helped reintroduce dire wolves to popular consciousness before their physical resurrection, the conservation implications represent a significant outcome. As a Cultural Advisor to Colossal, Martin has written in his personal blog about the responsibility that accompanies humanity's growing capacity to shape biodiversity outcomes, connecting storytelling to both scientific advancement and conservation ethics.
The ultimate conservation pathway unlocked by dire wolf DNA may be a fundamental shift in how humanity approaches extinction itself. By demonstrating that extinction can potentially be reversed through targeted intervention, Colossal challenges the conservation community to consider more active approaches to biodiversity preservation and restoration. This paradigm shift suggests that extinction may increasingly become a choice rather than an inevitability for species threatened by human activities and environmental change—a perspective that could transform conservation from a discipline focused primarily on minimizing losses to one that is equally engaged in actively restoring what has been lost.
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Miami Herald
9 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Shorebirds in Florida are losing habitat. Living shorelines are part of the solution
Editor's note: Before this story was published, Shiloh Schulte, a senior shorebird scientist with Manomet Conservation Sciences, died in a helicopter crash while in Alaska doing conservation work. Schulte coordinated the American Oystercatcher Working Group, the multi-state species recovery partnership to which Florida belongs. Even as populations dwindle for hundreds of bird species across the United States, there are some success stories taking flight: like for the American oystercatcher, one of Florida's most iconic — and threatened — shorebirds. Compared to 15 years ago, the oystercatcher population that breeds along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts is up 43%, according to the American Bird Conservancy. There are nearly 15,000 oystercatchers in North America today,compared to about 10,000 in 2008, according to Shiloh Schulte, a former senior shorebird scientist with Manomet Conservation Sciences. It's a welcome outlier in the world of shorebird conservation, Schulte said. 'Shorebirds, as a species group, are declining rapidly. And oystercatchers are one of the few that's not.' Schulte first began working with American oystercatchers in the early 2000s, when he participated in an expansive aerial survey of North American shorebirds revealing the species was at risk. 'We flew the whole coast, the Atlantic coast and then the Gulf, in a little Cessna at about 400 feet up.' The initial national survey revealed oystercatchers were threatened by habitat loss, Schulte said. The species doesn't move inland, depending on coastal habitats and forage to survive. Before long, Schulte started coordinating the multi-state working group credited for helping drive oystercatchers' gains since 2008. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is involved in the working group, and so is the Florida Shorebird Alliance, a statewide network of local partnerships focused on shorebird and seabird conservation. Within the network, volunteers contribute to the state's long-term monitoring data by helping survey and count bird populations throughout the year. Volunteer David Hartgrove was one of the FSA's very first members. Today, Hartgrove is co-conservation chair for Halifax River Audubon, one of three Audubon Florida chapters in Volusia County. For about 20 years now, Hartgrove has been monitoring oystercatchers who nest on the Halifax River in Port Orange, he said one June morning from a pavilion at Port Orange Causeway Park. Steps away from the park's fishing pier and boat launch, Hartgrove uses a spotting scope — basically, a telescope — to view nesting oystercatchers on three spoil islands (one of which is a state-designated Critical Wildlife Area). 'If I've got oystercatchers that I know are incubating eggs over here, I'll be here three or four times a week, at least,' Hartgrove said. Right now, in late June, most young oystercatchers have hatched and are getting ready to fly. Holding onto habitat Looking collectively at all the years he's been tracking oystercatchers in Port Orange, Hartgrove said, the population appears relatively stable. 'It's not going up, it's not going down. It's pretty much staying the same all the time,' Hartgrove said. An oystercatcher parent and two chicks stand on a spoil island serving as a nesting site in Mosquito Lagoon, the northernmost section of the Indian River Lagoon, on May 27, 2025. That's despite a range of threats facing shorebirds in Florida, from predators and human interference to nest overwash from storms and rising high tides. On the Nature Coast, which draws in the largest concentration of wintering oystercatchers each year, longer-lasting high tides corresponded with a 7.3% decline in annual survival over 12 years, according to a 2023 study by FWC researchers. Co-author Janell Brush with FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute leads the agency's research on seabirds and shorebirds. For Brush, the study's results underscore what she said is her biggest concern for oystercatchers in Florida: habitat loss. 'With the tides getting higher and higher, less habitat is available for oystercatchers at high tide,' Brush said. 'With the degradation of coastal habitats due to repeated storms and erosion, we've been focusing our attention more on: how can we restore and enhance the habitats where these birds want to be?' Ideally, oystercatchers will return to the same nesting site year after year, preferably while keeping their distance from other oystercatchers (although if the habitat is just too good to pass up, like at Cedar Key, they'll begrudgingly nest in closer quarters together, Brush said). But as Florida becomes increasingly developed, especially near the coast, prime nesting habitat is getting harder to come by. 'The more developed an area you have, the less suitable habitat that you have that's available for species like oystercatchers to nest,' Brush said. Oystercatchers like to nest in low-lying coastal areas, above the high tide line. And it's especially key for their nesting habitat to be near a food source, which for oystercatchers is primarily (and perhaps unsurprisingly) oysters. 'The closer that food source is to the oystercatchers and oystercatcher chicks, the more likely those chicks are going to survive,' Brush said. Unlike most shorebird babies, young oystercatchers can't feed themselves right away. They need time to learn their parents' technique for cracking open mollusk shells, and for their beaks to grow long enough to do so. In the meantime, oystercatcher parents take turns watching their young and foraging for food nearby — which, in Central Florida, usually means a trip to the nearest oyster reef. Supporting a 'habitat mosaic' Globally, a majority of oyster habitats have been lost, due largely to decades of overharvesting and coastal urbanization. Reflecting this trend, the Indian River Lagoon has lost about 63% of its oyster reef acreage since 1943, according to Linda Walters, a marine biology professor at the University of Central Florida. Since 2007, Walters and the lab she runs at UCF have been working to restore oyster reefs in the lagoon's northernmost section, the Mosquito Lagoon. Boating activity and sea level rise have caused damage, breaking up reefs into smaller pieces and reducing the estuary's overall oyster coverage. That loss can have big consequences for a complex marine ecosystem like the Indian River Lagoon. 'Oysters filter the water. They make it so the seagrass can thrive, which makes it so the fish can thrive, and the crabs, the other invertebrates,' Walters said. To put it simply, more oysters means a healthier lagoon. That, in turn, is as good for ecotourism as it is for shorebirds who depend on the estuary for habitat and to forage for food, Walters said. 'The more good habitat we have, the more birds we'll have,' Walters said. The oyster reef restorations led by Walters and completed in collaboration with local conservation and community partners have translated to documented habitat improvements in and around the Mosquito Lagoon, according to UCF. But this work supporting the estuary's 'habitat mosaic,' as Walters calls it, hasn't stopped with oyster reefs. Seagrass restoration is the newest layer of Walters's conservation work, which in 2011 also began to include living shoreline projects. Living shorelines are a type of green infrastructure technique, using native vegetation and other natural materials to stabilize shorelines against erosion while enhancing biodiversity, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Walters described it as 'the least destructive way to protect a shoreline.' 'We are trying to get it back to what it was naturally,' Walters said. 'So as opposed to using any sort of hard armoring, [like] a seawall or putting really large rocks out, this is the low-tech way to protect your shoreline.' Seawalls, living shorelines and hybrid solutions Seawalls are hard structures, usually made of concrete or metal, installed along shorelines to protect against erosion. They can be very effective at stabilizing coastal areas, at least for a time. But seawalls also have some big drawbacks, including for wildlife habitat, according to Jason Evans, an ecologist by training who runs Stetson University's Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience. 'We've simplified these ecosystems,' Evans said. 'We've gone in and destroyed enormous amounts of coastal wetlands in Florida, [by] putting in these seawalls.' Shorebirds tend to avoid seawalls and other man-made structures built to defend shorelines from sea level rise and erosion, according to some studies, including one from the United States Geological Survey. Some creatures, like barnacles, can survive on a seawall. But generally, the hard-armoring technique tends to make marine ecosystems less productive, Evans said. 'They're very poor habitat, compared to what the natural habitat would be.' Hardening a shoreline can displace important organisms, like oysters, which are in themselves 'natural stabilizers of shorelines,' Evans said. In the long-term, seawalls can actually make erosion worse, especially along sandy beaches, where waves crashing against one side of the seawall can scour out sand on the other side. 'You oftentimes will lose your beach a lot faster because of the seawall,' Evans said. A quarter of Florida's seawall permits issued since 2004 are for structures in Volusia County, where Mosquito Lagoon begins, according to a 2024 analysis commissioned by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Mosquito Lagoon stretches south into Brevard County, which prohibits the installation of new shoreline hardening structures except in emergency situations. Good for birds, good for fish — and good for us In certain cases, seawalls might be the best way to stabilize a shoreline, Evans said: such as at a port, where huge waves are constantly rolling in from ship traffic. But generally, he said, living shorelines are a highly effective, more environmentally friendly — and, often, more affordable — solution. '[It's] a win-win,' Evans said. 'We're getting the fisheries back that we want, we're getting the water quality back that we want. We're getting those benefits, and we're also getting the benefit of reduced amounts of erosion.' Hybrid solutions, like a buried seawall, can also be an effective alternative to fully hardening a shoreline, Evans said. For those structures, a hardened seawall serves as the core, buried beneath a sandy dune layer that often features native vegetation more conducive to wildlife habitat. For oystercatchers in the Mosquito Lagoon, a living shoreline can serve as valuable high ground for the birds to roost during high tide, without straying far from the oyster reefs they depend on for food. And a living system of mangroves and marsh grasses comes with another superpower, Evans said: built-in resilience. The native plants' roots help hold sediment from the lagoon in place, effectively allowing the land to 'grow up.' 'Even as the sea rises, then your mangroves can, in theory, keep up with it, because they're grabbing sediments,' Evans said. 'Just like a seawall is engineered, living shorelines are engineered: to stabilize, to withstand storms, and even in some cases to withstand a little bit of sea level rise.' Shorelines and beaches naturally shift over time, drifting and changing shape with the winds and waves. That makes a living shoreline's capacity to adapt to its surroundings — unlike a static seawall — one of its biggest strengths, said Melinda Donnelly, an assistant research scientist and biology professor at UCF who works with Walters. Right now, Donnelly is working on a model to help predict where in the Indian River Lagoon living shorelines are most likely to succeed, based on variables like tidal conditions and wave energy thresholds for different plants. Many previous living shoreline projects have largely relied on trial and error, Donnelly said. The goal is for the model to help maximize time and resources when planning how to stabilize a shoreline, and ultimately 'end up with sort of a combination of methods, rather than just basically hardening every shoreline throughout the lagoon,' Donnelly said. Especially over time, more living shorelines will translate to a healthier lagoon ecosystem overall, Walters said. That means more attractive shorebird habitat. 'It's good for birds, it's good for fish. It's good for commercial species, recreational species,' Walters said. 'It's good for all the plants and just everything in the lagoon. So basically, it means it's good for us.' 'A lot of potential' Moving forward, managing the species' continued recovery in Florida will require prioritizing ways to help nesting oystercatchers. Right now, there are only 419 breeding adults documented statewide, according to Brush with FWC. In 2013, there were also fewer than 500, according to the agency's species action plan. 'Because there's not that many birds, every single nesting pair is important. And every time you get a new nesting pair entering the breeding population, that's huge,' Brush said. Specifically along the Atlantic coast in Central Florida, there is great opportunity to help grow oystercatcher populations, Brush said. 'In general, where we are seeing birds try to enter the breeding population in great numbers [in Florida] is along the Atlantic coast.' But the challenge of habitat loss and degradation persists, especially as Central Florida's coasts are developed and hardened. If more oystercatchers here are to grow and breed successfully, improving habitat conditions will be critical. 'At some point, we will be limited by available habitat,' Brush said. 'There's a lot of potential to grow the population of oystercatchers on the Atlantic coast … if we have some more resources to dedicate toward habitat enhancement and restoration.' While resources are limited, Brush said, FWC is adept at making good use of them. 'We're constantly in FWC keeping the pulse on how species are doing, and where we need to allocate resources where species may not be doing as well.' One huge part of that equation, Brush said, is partnership. The national oystercatcher working group helps foster collaboration between states. 'We watched our local population improve in Florida as part of that network,' Brush said. 'The state of Florida can't do it without our conservation partners.' A culture of partnership will be crucial to continuing American oystercatchers' recovery, according to conservation experts. Although oystercatchers have made promising gains in the last 15 years, the work is by no means over. The (flight) path forward: 'It takes a village' Oystercatchers continue to face existential threats, from predators like rats and raccoons to habitat loss caused by human interference, sea level rise and storms. 'The difference is we as a working group have discovered many of the ways to manage and mitigate many of those threats, as long as we have people in the field doing that work,' Schulte said. That last piece is critical — and a growing concern for wildlife experts like Schulte, as the Trump administration's sweeping 'waste-reduction' measures usher longtime experts out of staff positions and interrupt some grant-funded projects already underway. It's not uncommon for conservation funds to fluctuate between (and sometimes during) presidential administrations, Schulte said. But this time is different. 'There's always uncertainty. It's never been like: 'We're stopping everything,' and no necessary guarantee as to whether it's going back,' Schulte said. 'We haven't seen that before, at all, where a project that's underway gets canceled.' Nationally and within states where oystercatchers breed, including Florida, government agencies are now missing some core personnel who made up the 'bedrock' of shorebird conservation, Schulte said. 'We're seeing it kind of everywhere, especially with state and federal employees, who are usually the most consistent and stable aspect of the group,' Schulte said in late May. 'Some of these people were coordinating multiple sets of volunteers, or out there in the field themselves, doing a lot of this assessment work.' Departing experts take with them a depth of specialized knowledge, often built up over decades of fieldwork and experience. 'It's a huge loss. And it's hard to quantify,' Schulte said. 'It's not universal. But it's very widespread, and it is having significant impacts on our ability to do basic conservation work.' Fewer experienced people in the field means fewer, less robust assessments of shorebird health, Schulte said. 'We actually won't know as much information about how well the birds are doing … or what the challenges are.' Restoring shorebird populations is a long-term commitment, Schulte said. Even in the smoothest of political climates, armed with the newest and best science, conservation experts know their work is bound to involve a certain level of uncertainty. Instead of running away from the inevitable, Brush, with FWC, said she focuses on learning from the (literally) changing tides. 'We need to keep looking for opportunities while we're navigating the uncertainty. 'That uncertainty is always looming,' Brush said. 'When a storm hits, you have to be looking for opportunity as you're evaluating your habitat loss.' Adaptation is no strange concept in a state where hurricanes routinely ravage and refashion coastlines and communities. Still, the ability to quickly pivot and seek out new possible solutions requires a strong foundation, like the network of partners making up the oystercatcher working group. And citizen scientists, like Hartgrove in Port Orange, are also 'absolutely instrumental' to shorebird recovery, Brush said. 'It takes a village,' Brush said. 'There's always opportunities. You just have to look for them.'
Time Magazine
2 days ago
- Time Magazine
TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025: Colossal Biosciences
Extinction ain't what it used to be. Around one-third of all existing species could vanish due to global warming by 2050 according to the Center for Biological Diversity, but a handful of those already gone—and others on the brink of extinction—are getting a second chance, thanks to Dallas-based Colossal Biosciences. The company announced in March it had genetically engineered mice with the shaggy, golden-brown coat of the woolly mammoth—an initial step in Colossal's stated goal of bringing back the mammoth itself by 2028. In April, Colossal went further with its introduction of three genetically engineered dire wolves, the first representatives of that species to walk the planet in over 10,000 years. Just as important, the company is using similar technology to help protect the red wolf, the Asian elephant, and other species currently clinging to life. 'As I've gotten into the conservation community and…the biotech community, it became abundantly clear that we need new tools and technologies for conservation,' Colossal co-founder and CEO Ben Lamm says.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Oxidative stress is one of the 'most important factors' that causes aging — here's what you can do to reduce it
Oxidative stress is one of the primary drivers of aging, but your diet can play a role in tamping it down — or accelerating it. Experts have long linked our diets — particularly those high in fat or carbohydrates — to increased inflammation and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is an imbalance between free radicals (the bad guys) and antioxidants (the good guys) in the body. It plays a role in several chronic and degenerative conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, in addition to neurological and respiratory diseases. While oxidative stress is a natural process that occurs in all living organisms, we can take steps to reduce its impact and, in turn, lessen the hallmarks of aging. This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle. The North American lifestyle, in general, "is not very healthy and is harmful," Dr. Cory S. Goldberg, a plastic and craniofacial surgeon and former Division Head of Plastic Surgery at Trillium Health Partners, told Yahoo Canada. "We can definitely live better and longer with some basic principles and implementations." Oxidative stress ages you "in an absolute way," he said. "It is probably one of the most important factors that cause aging." Oxidative stress is "probably one of the most important factors that cause aging."Dr. Cory S. Goldberg Anything that raises the number of free radicals in your body, triggering an imbalance, can cause oxidative stress. Pollution, stress, smoking, sun exposure and excessive alcohol consumption all cause oxidative stress, but it's also heavily influenced by diet. "The food we eat is probably the biggest and most important contributing factor to having bad health and bad skin," Goldberg, who is certified in functional medicine, said. "There is a direct relation between your gut bacteria and your skin, and also between your gut bacteria and your brain and your psychological health and emotional well-being," he said. "In fact, a majority, about 90 per cent of your serotonin, is produced in your intestines, not in your brain." Imagine your body is like a power plant or production facility. The power plant produces energy, proteins and the things that make you function. It also creates waste as a byproduct of those processes, Goldberg explains. "Your body is constantly mopping up [that waste]." However, "it takes energy to do that, and if it doesn't get fully mopped up, it harms you quite a lot." Your diet, especially eating foods that are high in antioxidants — berries, kale, pecans, beans and dark chocolate, for example — is crucial because it helps you manage this oxidative stress. "There is no one diet that fits everybody. There's no gospel on diet," Goldberg said. "Principles are usually the best things to follow, and ultimately, what each individual needs differs and what one would need over their lifetime changes." A good place to start is by eliminating or reducing your consumption of ultra-processed foods. Public health experts have long warned about the dangers of ultra-processed foods — manufactured foods that have been highly processed and often contain additives — and a 2025 study confirmed the association between their consumption and all-cause mortality. The research, which involved more than 240,000 people, found that "every bite" of ultra-processed food can increase your risk of early death. Goldberg said that if someone were to drastically reduce their intake of ultra-processed foods, say from 60 per cent of their caloric intake to 10 per cent of their caloric intake, it would make a "huge difference" in the amount of inflammation in the body. Reducing your consumption of ultra-processed foods would not only decrease the risk of premature death and certain diseases, said Goldberg, but it would also make a significant difference in skin health and the hallmarks of premature aging. "What manifests on the skin is more than just the soft descriptor of 'looks flat' or 'doesn't have a glow,'" Goldberg said. "What's actually manifesting is inflammation. Your skin is responding to the toxins that are being released by the bacteria in your intestine if they are unhealthy bacteria." If you're eating foods that "tend to propagate the unhealthy bacteria," it can cause inflammation and skin disorders. Eczema, skin irritations and inflammation are "absolutely worsened by imbalances of gut bacteria." One of the easiest ways to improve the gut microbiome is by eating more fruits and vegetables and incorporating colour into your diet. Eating the rainbow, Goldberg advised, is a great way to integrate more and varied nutrients into your daily life. Additionally, the plastic surgeon recommended a supplement called GliSODin, which he referred to as "the thing" for managing oxidative stress. GliSODin combines a melon extract (naturally rich in SOD) and a wheat protein (gliadin) to help protect against damage caused by oxidative stress. GliSODin, an antioxidant enzyme, contains superoxide dismutase [SOD], which in biochemistry, people call the "king of enzymes," Goldberg explained. "It is, quite possibly, one of the, if not the most important, enzymes our body produces because it is the thing that allows us to manage this oxidative stress." "There's not a lot of ways to up your SOD," but GliSODin is one of them. "I have all my surgical patients take it," he said. "I did a study on this stuff 10 years ago, measuring skin inflammation with images [...] and after just three months of taking it, there was a statistically significant reduction in skin inflammation." Goldberg, who is a voluntary scientific advisor for the company, said taking the enzyme was a "no-brainer." "It has been shown to have benefits in every organ system," he said. "I think that it should be put in the water." While studies agree there are "therapeutic potentials of superoxide dismutase," other experts warn the enzyme is not easily absorbed into the bloodstream when taken orally and question the benefits of oral supplements.
