Scientists in the United States have resurrected the dire wolf—an ancient predator that vanished over 12,000 years ago—in what is now hailed as a major breakthrough for conservation and genetic science.
The innovation was led by Colossal Biosciences, a US biotech company that has, since 2021, been leading efforts to bring back extinct animals, including the woolly mammoth.
The dire wolf, which is the first species to be de-extincted in human history, once roamed North and South America.
After disappearing thousands of years ago, it remained only in fossils and myth, until now.
Colossal scientists took on the near-impossible mission of bringing it back to life.
Using advanced genetic engineering and preserved ancient DNA, they decoded the dire wolf genome.
They then reprogrammed the genetic code of the modern gray wolf to match that of the dire wolf and used domestic dogs as surrogate mothers.
This resulted in three living dire wolves. The oldest pair, born late last year, are five months old and are named Romulus and Remus.
Their younger sister, which is two months old, has been named Khaleesi.
The Power of De-Extinction
Colossal Biosciences says this proves that their de-extinction technology can not only revive extinct species but also help prevent the disappearance of endangered ones.
“This massive milestone is the first of many coming examples demonstrating that our end-to-end de-extinction technology stack works,” said Ben Lamm, Colossal’s cofounder and CEO, in a press release.
“Our team took DNA from a 13,000 year old tooth and a 72,000 year old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies.”
Founded in 2021, Colossal is also working to de-extinct other long-lost species like the woolly mammoth, the dodo, and the Tasmanian tiger.
These are creatures that most people today know only through books and Hollywood movies.
With countless species now facing extinction, Colossal believes genetic engineering can stop the loss of biodiversity.
“If we want a future that is both bionumerous and filled with people, we should be giving ourselves the opportunity to see what our big brains can do to reverse some of the bad things that we’ve done to the world already,” Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s chief science officer, told Time Magazine.
