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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...

The genome was reconstructed by Colossal from ancient DNA found in fossils The fossils date back 11,500 and 72,000 years Colossal Biosciences said: "This moment marks not only a milestone for us as a company but also a leap forward for science, conservation, and humanity. From the beginning, our goal has been clear: To revolutionize history and be the first company to use CRISPR technology successfully in the de-extinction of previously lost species. By achieving this, we continue to push forward our broader mission on—accepting humanity’s duty to restore Earth to a healthier state."

For more than a decade, scientists have chased the idea of reviving extinct species, a process sometimes called de-extinction. Now, a company called Colossal Biosciences appears to have done it, or something close, with the dire wolf, a giant, extinct species made famous by the television series “Game of Thrones.” In 2021, a separate team of scientists managed to retrieve DNA from the fossils of dire wolves, which went extinct about 13,000 years ago. With the discovery of additional DNA, the Colossal researchers have now edited 20 genes of gray wolves to imbue the animals with key features of dire...

Biologists briefly brought the extinct Pyrenean ibex back to life in 2003 by creating a clone from a frozen tissue sample harvested before the goat's entire population vanished in 2000. The clone survived just seven minutes after birth, but it gave scientists hope that "de-extinction," once a pipedream, could become a reality. Ten years later, a group of researchers and conservationists gathered in Washington, D.C., today (March 15) for a forum called TEDxDeExtinction, hosted by the National Geographic Society, to talk about how to revive extinct animals, from the Tasmanian tiger and the saber-toothed tiger to the woolly mammoth and...