For the first time in 12,500 years, a dire wolf—an Ice Age predator once thought to be lost forever—has walked the Earth again.
Researchers rebirth the dire wolf more than 10,000 years after extinction
This major scientific breakthrough comes from Colossal Biosciences, a US company focused on “de-extinction,” which means bringing back species that have completely disappeared.
Using DNA taken from two fossilised dire wolf teeth, one dating back 12,000 years and the other 70,000 years, scientists were able to create a complete genetic blueprint of the animal.
This is known as the genome. They then used this information to change the DNA of modern gray wolves so that their genes would match those of the extinct dire wolf.
The company used a powerful tool called CRISPR to make these precise changes. CRISPR allows scientists to edit DNA the same way we might use a text editor to change words in a sentence.
The gene-edited wolf embryos were then carried by domestic dogs as surrogates. This led to the birth of three dire wolf pups: Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi.
The pups were born on a secure 2,000-acre preserve in the United States, where they are being raised carefully and closely monitored.
A factorial on the dire wolf
The dire wolf was a powerful predator that lived in North America during the Ice Age. It was bigger and heavier than today’s gray wolves. Standing over one meter tall at the shoulder, dire wolves hunted large prey like bison and ancient giant sloths.
Unlike the fantasy version from Game of Thrones, the real dire wolf was not a magical creature. It was a real animal that lived alongside other Ice Age giants like mammoths and saber-toothed cats.
Scientists believe dire wolves went extinct due to climate changes and the disappearance of the large animals they hunted.
For years, all that remained of dire wolves were fossils. Now, thanks to genetic technology, these ancient animals have been brought back to life.
How would the dire wolf’s return affect the food chain?
The return of the dire wolf raises many questions about the balance of nature. Right now, the wolves are not living freely in the wild. They are in a controlled area and are being fed a special diet while scientists study them.
If dire wolves were ever released into nature, scientists would have to think carefully about the impact on other animals.
For example, introducing a powerful predator into an ecosystem where it does not currently exist could affect animals lower down the food chain.
It could also create problems for humans, especially farmers, if the wolves hunted livestock.
Colossal Biosciences says that the main goal is not to release the animals but to study them and learn how de-extinction could help fix broken ecosystems.
The company is also working on reviving other extinct animals like the woolly mammoth and the Tasmanian tiger.
Experts around the world are watching closely to see what comes next.
