Dire wolf reborn: ‘Game of Thrones’ beast returns after 12,500 years (VIDEO)
Ancient predator revived using CRISPR and DNA from 72,000-year-old fossil
DUBAI: The dire wolf, a long-extinct predator made famous by the HBO Game of Thrones series, is no longer confined to fossil records or fantasy.
US-based biotech company Colossal Biosciences has successfully resurrected the species, creating what it calls the “world’s first de-extincted animal.”
Three dire wolf pups – two males and a female – have been born using ancient DNA, advanced gene editing, and interspecies cloning, in a scientific milestone announced on Tuesday.
Colossal confirmed that male pups Romulus and Remus were born on October 1, 2024, while the female pup arrived on January 30, 2025. The pups were produced using reconstructed DNA from dire wolf fossils dated to be between 11,500 and 72,000 years old. According to the company, this is not a theoretical experiment but a functional birth – ushering in a new era of synthetic biology.
Dire wolf: Genetic resurrection
The dire wolf, Aenocyon dirus, once dominated the Pleistocene ecosystem, ranging from Canada to Venezuela. The species vanished roughly 12,500 years ago, but its remains have been unearthed widely, offering extensive genomic material.
Scientists at Colossal, headquartered in Dallas, successfully sequenced two high-quality dire wolf genomes using DNA recovered from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull. Comparative analysis against living canids – wolves, foxes, and jackals – enabled the team to identify specific traits, such as stronger jaws, thicker fur, and broader skulls, which were then used as gene-editing targets.
A total of 20 genetic edits across 14 genes were made in gray wolf cell lines using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. These modified cells were then cloned and implanted into large mixed-breed domestic dogs, which served as surrogate mothers.
First of its kind
The pups are being raised at a secured, undisclosed 2,000-acre site enclosed by 3-metre-tall fencing. The location is certified by the American Humane Society and registered with the US Department of Agriculture. The facility is monitored by drones, live camera feeds, and on-site security personnel.
The achievement, while visually stunning, has scientific nuance. According to evolutionary genomics expert Prof. Love Dalén of Stockholm University – who advised Colossal – the new animals are genetically 99.9 percent gray wolf but exhibit clear dire wolf phenotypes. “It carries dire wolf genes, and these genes make it look more like a dire wolf than anything we’ve seen in the last 13,000 years,” he noted.
Dalén described the development as a “huge leap” from anything seen previously in de-extinction science, asserting that the puppies closely match the likely appearance of the original species.
Broader goals
Founded in 2021 by tech entrepreneur Ben Lamm and Harvard geneticist Dr George Church, Colossal Biosciences has raised over Dh1.6 billion ($435 million) to fund de-extinction initiatives. The firm is also working on reviving the woolly mammoth, dodo, and Tasmanian tiger, with plans to introduce mammoth calves by 2028.
Using the same platform, Colossal recently cloned two litters of critically endangered red wolves, native to the southeastern US. The red wolf population had dwindled to fewer than 20 in the wild, and the cloned pups mark a step forward in conservation cloning, using techniques developed during the dire wolf project.
Despite the scientific triumph, questions remain. Critics argue that de-extinction diverts essential funding from current conservation needs, while others express concern over the ethical treatment of surrogate animals. However, ethicists such as Professor Christopher Preston of the University of Montana acknowledged that Colossal has taken “thoughtful precautions,” particularly regarding animal welfare and genomic integrity.
Yet the role these engineered animals will play in existing ecosystems remains uncertain. Preston added, “It is hard to imagine dire wolves ever being released and taking up an ecological role.”
While Colossal maintains that the ultimate goal is ecosystem restoration, the immediate impact is clear: the boundary between extinction and existence has officially blurred.