Posted on 04/07/2025 7:00:20 PM PDT by Red Badger
Using a novel iterative genome assembly method, the company produced the most complete dire wolf genomes to date.
caretaker feeding an infant dire wolf.
Colossal Biosciences
For decades, dire wolves have captivated the imaginations of gamers, musicians, and fantasy fans.
From Dungeons & Dragons and World of Warcraft to Game of Thrones, these prehistoric predators have lived on as cultural icons far more than biological realities –until now.
In a stunning scientific breakthrough, Dallas-based Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences has brought the legendary canid back from extinction, making it the world’s first successfully de-extincted animal.
Three litters of dire wolves have been created so far, including two adolescent males—Romulus and Remus—and a female pup named Khaleesi.
Month-old Dire Wolf puppy, Romulus. – Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences “I could not be more proud of the team. This massive milestone is the first of many coming examples demonstrating that our end-to-end de-extinction technology stack works,” Colossal CEO Ben Lamm said.
Colossal previously created a “woolly mouse,” with the ultimate aim to bring the woolly mammoth back to life.
First de-extinction breakthrough To de-extinct the dire wolf, Colossal extracted and sequenced ancient DNA from two fossils—a 13,000-year-old tooth from Ohio and a 72,000-year-old inner ear bone from Idaho.
Using a novel iterative genome assembly method, the company produced the most complete dire wolf genomes to date.
The analysis revealed that the dire wolf shares 99.5% of its DNA with the gray wolf—its closest living relative, not the jackal as was previously believed.
The genome also uncovered unique extinct variants linked to traits such as skeletal and muscular strength, sensory adaptation, and a thick white coat suited for Ice Age climates.
Colossal used these insights to make 20 targeted gene edits across 14 loci—15 of them extinct variants—engineering gray wolf cells with multiplex gene editing.
The edited cell lines were then screened through whole genome sequencing and karyotyping, and the most viable lines were cloned via somatic cell nuclear transfer into donor egg cells.
These embryos were then implanted and nurtured through interspecies surrogacy, ultimately leading to the successful birth of a once-extinct species.
“The same technologies that created the dire wolf can directly help save a variety of other endangered animals as well,” Dr. Christopher Mason, a scientific advisor and member of the board of observers for Colossal, said.
“This is an extraordinary technological leap in genetic engineering efforts for both science and for conservation as well as preservation of life, and a wonderful example of the power of biotechnology to protect species, both extant and extinct.”
Saving endangered canid species
VIDEO AT LINK.................
The dire wolves now live on a 2,000+ acre secure ecological preserve certified by the American Humane Society and registered with the USDA.
The entire preserve, which includes specialized engagement zones and habit types, is enclosed by 10-foot-tall, zoo-grade fencing with redundant perimeter security.
Within the preserve, the wolves are continuously monitored through on-site live cameras, security personnel, and drone tracking to ensure their safety and welfare.
The conservation property will provide lifetime care, feeding, and protection for the wolves. Once ready, the long-lost giant canines will be moved to larger ecological preserves.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES In addition to this, the de-extinct startup has birthed two litters of cloned red wolves, the most critically endangered wolf in the world, from three different genetic founder lines. These litters include one adolescent female red wolf (Hope) and three male red wolf puppies (Blaze, Cinder, and Ash).
Dire wolves (Aenocyon dirus) roamed North America until their extinction about 13,000 years ago. Genomic data suggests they first emerged 2.5–3.5 million years ago from the admixture of two extinct canid lineages.
Larger and more muscular than gray wolves, dire wolves primarily hunted horses and bison.
Thnks! GoT had me thinking they would be about the size of a horse...
Meiosis, not mitosis. Mitosis has to do with DNA replication. Meiosis is cell division. Had to look it up. It’s been a while.
They would be about the size of a Irish Wolfhound breed of dog...........
Btt!!
From Google AI:
Dire wolves, an extinct species of canid, were significantly larger than modern gray wolves, with an average weight between 125 and 175 pounds and a length of up to six feet.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown of their size:
Weight: Dire wolves weighed between 125 and 175 pounds (56.7 - 79.4 kg).
Length: They could reach up to six feet (183 cm) long.
Shoulder Height: They stood around three feet (91 cm) at the shoulder.
Comparison to Gray Wolves: Dire wolves were about 25% larger than modern-day gray wolves.
Other features: Dire wolves had heavier, more muscular bodies with larger heads and more
powerful jaws and sharper teeth than gray wolves.
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We don’t know how big these pups will get for a few months. They may be just average sized as a gray wolf........................
Talking with kid. She said they probably live more than 6 years. She works for TPW. Mutations are rampant apparently. They will probably not be able to reproduce.
Not live past 6 or so.
That is a possibility.
They have two males and one female.
And the DNA they used came from two different Dire Wolf fossils thousands of years apart.
It’s like having two jigsaw puzzles of the same scene but from slightly different camera angles, and you try to put them together from one box full of both pictures pieces.................
She was trying to explain that to me. Talked about puzzle pieces. I am ignorant on that stuff.
She said they have a short time to live, but they can extract DNA and figure things out. I don’t know, I’m just a dumbass pipe fitter.
Personally, I have had large dogs and small dogs.
The large dogs don’t live as long as the small ones do for some reason.
We had a mixed breed dog, part Chow part whatever, that didn’t live but about seven years but was very smart.
We had a Chihuahua that lived 20 years and a Lhasa Apso-Shih Tzu mix that lived 18 years..............
Exactly.
All our big dogs fell over dead at 8 to 12 years old. All our little ones hit 20 or so.
I have been hunting since I was little. Most canids don’t make it past 4 or so. Wolf and coyote and fox. They live long enough to procreate and game over. Tooth fang and claw.
Here’s more detailed description as to what the scientists did:
https://studyfinds.org/did-colossal-dire-wolf-return-from-extinction/
You daughter might enjoy this.............
She sent me that.
We got this big old boy. He’s a mastiff and border collie mix. He gets scared when I strike a match for my smokes. I mean absolutely terrified.
I’ve seen this movie.... It doesn’t end o.🙄
I want some barbecue mammoth ribs.😁
End well.
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