Extinct Dire Wolf Brought Back to Life, Claim Scientists
Extinction has always been a part of nature, and many species have vanished from planet Earth for several reasons. A species of wolf that died out some 12,500 years ago lives again as the “world’s first successfully de-extincted animal,” says Dallas-based biotech company Colossal Bioscience.
The scientists have created three dire wolf pups by using DNA, cloning, and gene-editing technology to alter the genes of a grey wolf. The result is, however, a hybrid species similar in appearance to its extinct version. Moreover, this species, which the scientists claim to have recreated, is the same species that inspired Game of Thrones’ iconic House Stark companions.
Read also:How Nithyananda’s Fake Hindu Nation Attempted To Seize Indigenous Land In Bolivia
The dire wolves, which once roamed the world, were larger in size than grey wolves and “had a slightly wider head, thick light fur, and a stronger jaw,” the company said.
In a news release, the company claimed that the milestone was achieved by taking DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull and making healthy dire wolf puppies.
Using the ancient DNA the company collected from dire wolf fossils, the scientists collaborated it with two high-quality Aenocyon dirus genomes or complete sets of genetic information. The team compared the genomes with those of living canids to identify the genetic variants for traits specific to dire wolves, such as white coats and longer, thick fur. By using the information from the genetic analysis to alter the grey wolf cells, they made 20 edits in 14 genes before cloning the most promising cell lines and transferring them into donor eggs.
Read also: New Russian Law Bans Influencers From Advertising On Meta, X Platforms: Report
Then, the healthy embryos were transferred into surrogates for interspecies gestation. The surrogates were domestic dogs, specifically large, mixed-breed hounds. Later, two dire wolf pups were born on October 1, 2024, while a female pup was born on January 30, 2025.
As of now, the three dire wolves are living on a 2,000-acre site at an undisclosed location enclosed by 10-foot-tall “zoo-grade” fencing, where they are constantly monitored by security personnel, drones, and live camera feeds.
However, when the young wolves- Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi were represented as technological breakthrough, independent experts have come forward saying that they are not actually dire wolves. As per the BBC report, experts
