Scientists announce dire wolf brought back from extinction
Published: 03:04 PM,Apr 08,2025 | EDITED : 07:04 PM,Apr 08,2025
The dire wolf, an extinct creature made famous by the television series 'Game of Thrones,' has been brought back from extinction after more than 10,000 years, according to a biotechnology start-up.
The Texas-based company Colossal Biosciences announced on Monday that its researchers have successfully used cloning and gene-editing techniques based on two ancient samples of dire wolf DNA to produce three modern dire wolf pups: two six-month-old males named Romulus and Remus, and a three-month-old female named Khaleesi.
Colossal’s chief executive, Ben Lamm, described this achievement as a 'massive milestone.' He stated, 'I could not be more proud of the team. This milestone is the first of many examples demonstrating that our end-to-end de-extinction technology stack works. Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull to create healthy dire wolf puppies.'
Lamm referenced a famous quote, saying, 'It was once said, ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ Today, our team gets to unveil some of the magic they are working on and its broader impact on conservation.'
Colossal's researchers explained that the de-extinction process involved extracting blood cells from a living grey wolf, the closest living relative of the dire wolf, and genetically modifying those cells at 20 different sites. This genetic material was then transferred to an egg cell from a domestic dog. The embryos were subsequently transferred to surrogates for gestation, ultimately resulting in their successful birth.
Dr Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s chief science officer, commented, 'Our novel approach to iteratively improve our ancient genome in the absence of a perfect reference sets a new standard for paleogenome reconstruction. Together with improved methods to recover ancient DNA, these computational advances have enabled us to chart the evolutionary history of dire wolves and establish the genomic foundation for de-extinction, specifically for selecting with confidence dire wolf-specific genetic variants that guide our gene editing targets.'
Distinctive traits of the dire wolf include its thick fur and powerful jaws, and it is significantly larger than grey wolves. Colossal has assured that the animals will be housed in a continuously monitored, secure ecological preserve certified by the American Humane Society and registered with the US Department of Agriculture.
The dire wolf has become a prominent feature of fantasy settings in popular culture, appearing in role-playing games such as 'Dungeons & Dragons' and video games like 'World of Warcraft.' However, the vehicle that propelled dire wolves to fame is the HBO series 'Game of Thrones,' based on the works of author George R.R. Martin.
Mr Martin, who is an investor in Colossal and serves as a cultural adviser for the company, remarked, 'Many people view dire wolves as mythical creatures that exist only in a fantasy world, but they actually have a rich history of contributing to the American ecosystem. I have the luxury to write about magic, but Ben and Colossal have created magic by bringing these majestic beasts back into our world.'
Colossal also announced the cloning of four red wolves using blood from the critically endangered red wolf population in the southeastern United States, aiming to increase genetic diversity within this small captive population. —dpa
The Texas-based company Colossal Biosciences announced on Monday that its researchers have successfully used cloning and gene-editing techniques based on two ancient samples of dire wolf DNA to produce three modern dire wolf pups: two six-month-old males named Romulus and Remus, and a three-month-old female named Khaleesi.
Colossal’s chief executive, Ben Lamm, described this achievement as a 'massive milestone.' He stated, 'I could not be more proud of the team. This milestone is the first of many examples demonstrating that our end-to-end de-extinction technology stack works. Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull to create healthy dire wolf puppies.'
Lamm referenced a famous quote, saying, 'It was once said, ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ Today, our team gets to unveil some of the magic they are working on and its broader impact on conservation.'
Colossal's researchers explained that the de-extinction process involved extracting blood cells from a living grey wolf, the closest living relative of the dire wolf, and genetically modifying those cells at 20 different sites. This genetic material was then transferred to an egg cell from a domestic dog. The embryos were subsequently transferred to surrogates for gestation, ultimately resulting in their successful birth.
Dr Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s chief science officer, commented, 'Our novel approach to iteratively improve our ancient genome in the absence of a perfect reference sets a new standard for paleogenome reconstruction. Together with improved methods to recover ancient DNA, these computational advances have enabled us to chart the evolutionary history of dire wolves and establish the genomic foundation for de-extinction, specifically for selecting with confidence dire wolf-specific genetic variants that guide our gene editing targets.'
Distinctive traits of the dire wolf include its thick fur and powerful jaws, and it is significantly larger than grey wolves. Colossal has assured that the animals will be housed in a continuously monitored, secure ecological preserve certified by the American Humane Society and registered with the US Department of Agriculture.
The dire wolf has become a prominent feature of fantasy settings in popular culture, appearing in role-playing games such as 'Dungeons & Dragons' and video games like 'World of Warcraft.' However, the vehicle that propelled dire wolves to fame is the HBO series 'Game of Thrones,' based on the works of author George R.R. Martin.
Mr Martin, who is an investor in Colossal and serves as a cultural adviser for the company, remarked, 'Many people view dire wolves as mythical creatures that exist only in a fantasy world, but they actually have a rich history of contributing to the American ecosystem. I have the luxury to write about magic, but Ben and Colossal have created magic by bringing these majestic beasts back into our world.'
Colossal also announced the cloning of four red wolves using blood from the critically endangered red wolf population in the southeastern United States, aiming to increase genetic diversity within this small captive population. —dpa