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For the first time in over 10,000 years, the howl of a dire wolf is echoing once more—this time, from within a secretive nature preserve in the United States. The predator, long thought extinct and famously mythologized in pop culture like Game of Thrones, is back, thanks to genetic engineering.
Colossal Biosciences has successfully birthed three dire wolf pups—Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi—through its “de-extinction” initiative.
Why It Matters
The project, combining ancient DNA analysis with CRISPR gene editing and modern surrogate breeding, marks a major milestone in genetic science and conservation. Colossal previously announced efforts to revive other extinct species like the woolly mammoth, the dodo, and the thylacine, but the dire wolf’s return is the first successful mammalian de-extinction of its kind.
Colossal says its work could aid modern conservation. It is already using similar techniques to support critically endangered species like the red wolf, potentially helping to restore genetic diversity to populations with dangerously shallow gene pools.
The Center for Biological Diversity estimates that by 2050, 30 percent of the planet’s genetic diversity could be lost. According to TIME, Colossal CEO Ben Lamm and chief science officer Beth Shapiro argue that genetic engineering offers a crucial means of preserving and potentially restoring that biodiversity.
What Is a Dire Wolf?
Dire wolves were apex predators that roamed much of the Americas during the Pleistocene epoch, according to the National Park Service. Fossil evidence shows they lived as north as Canada and as south as Venezuela. Unlike their smaller cousins, dire wolves hunted large ice age mammals, including mammoths and horses. Their extinction roughly 10,000 years ago coincided with the disappearance of much of their prey.
Although popularized by fiction, dire wolves were real, genetically distinct creatures with a powerful role in ancient ecosystems.
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