Colossal Biosciences, a US-based biotech company, has announced the successful de-extinction of the dire wolf, a species extinct for over 12,000 years. They have bred three dire wolf pups: Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi.
The process involved editing DNA recovered from ancient dire wolf remains. The resulting pups, weighing approximately 80 pounds, are currently housed in a secure, undisclosed location in the US.
Scientists involved describe the achievement as a breakthrough in de-extinction technology, showcasing the potential of genetic engineering in reviving extinct species. The project highlights the intersection of scientific advancement and popular culture, as the dire wolves' names reference the television series Game of Thrones.
Footage released shows the pups' development, from whimpering as newborns to frolicking in the snow.
Scientists have brought a breed of wolf back from extinction more than 12,000 years after it last walked the earth.
In what researchers described as the world’s first successful de-extinction, a US-based biotech firm has bred three dire wolves, a species popularised by the fantasy series Game of Thrones, by editing DNA recovered from ancient remains.
Colossal Biosciences Inc announced yesterday it had bred 80lb brothers Romulus and Remus – named after the fabled founders of Rome who were nurtured by a she-wolf – as well as a younger female pup called Khaleesi, which takes its name from a character in the television drama.
Footage of the wolves shows them whimpering as pups and frolicking in the snow at their fenced-in nature reserve at a secret US location.
Darya Tourzani, a reproductive biology scientist who worked on the project, described the breakthrough as “science fiction at its finest”.
Colossal describes de-extinction as the “process of generating an organism that both resembles and is genetically similar to an extinct species”.
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