Biotechnology startup Colossal announced yesterday it has successfully revived the dire wolf, which went extinct thousands of years ago and was popularized through George RR Martin’s “Game of Thrones.” The breakthrough marks the world’s first de-extinction of an animal.
The dire wolf roamed the Americas more than 12,000 years ago before its prey—large herbivores like bison—were largely depleted. Colossal created three wolves: six-month-old adolescents Romulus and Remus, and pup Khaleesi (see footage here). The company created the wolves using DNA fragments from a 13,000-year-old tooth fossil and a 72,000-year-old skull. They also used CRISPR technology to edit genes of the dire wolf’s closest living relative, the gray wolf, selecting for white fur. Learn more about CRISPR on 1440 Topics here.
Colossal—launched in 2021 and valued at over $10B—seeks to recreate extinct species like the woolly mammoth and the dodo bird. The company hopes the projects will yield profitable insights to benefit human health, like helping to develop artificial wombs.
