(NewsNation) — Colossal Biosciences, the biotech company working to “de-extinct” different species, has brought back a long-extinct canine that “Game of Thrones” fans may recognize: The dire wolf.
Dire wolf brought back with fossil DNA, Colossal Biosciences claims
In a post on X, Colossal introduced Romulus and Remus, two males born on Oct. 1, 2024. Another pup, a female named Khalessi, was also born. They are the first dire wolves to be born since their extinction over 12,000 years ago, according to NPR.
“Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies,” Colossal CEO Ben Lamm said in a statement. “It was once said, ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ Today, our team gets to unveil some of the magic they are working on and its broader impact on conservation.”
The company also said it bred four cloned red wolves. NPR reported that the red wolves are the most endangered wolf species in the world.
Colossal Biosciences’ claim ‘very misleading,’ professor tells NPR
NPR reported that some in the scientific community don’t agree with Colossal Biosciences’ claims that they brought back the dire wolf.
This undated photo provided by Colossal Biosciences shows Romulus and Remus, both 3-months old and genetically engineered with similarities to the extinct dire wolf. (Colossal Biosciences via AP) 
This undated photo provided by Colossal Biosciences shows two pups that were genetically engineered with similarities to the extinct dire wolf. (Colossal Biosciences via AP) 
This undated photo provided by Colossal Biosciences shows a young wolf that was genetically engineered with similarities to the extinct dire wolf. (Colossal Biosciences via AP)
Vincent Lynch, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Buffalo, told NPR in a statement, “It is all very misleading. It is not a dire wolf; it is a gray wolf clone with some mutations that make it superficially resemble a dire wolf.”
Maarten Larmuseau, a professor of genetic genealogy at KU Leuven in Belgium, told NPR in a statement, “Dire wolves were a distinct species, genetically distant from gray wolves. You can’t ‘bring back’ a species just by making another animal look vaguely similar.”
Larmuseau did say that what Colossal Biosciences did was “an interesting biotech exercise,” but explained that there are other things that matter just as much as DNA, like behavior and ecology.
Colossal Biosciences has said it isn’t trying to create an exact replica. It wants to create animals that can “fill the void that dire wolves left in nature,” according to NPR.
Colossal Biosciences genetically engineers woolly mouse
In March, Colossal announced it had genetically engineered the woolly mouse, which shared some characteristics of the extinct woolly mammoth, like a longer, lighter-coated coat with a rough, woolly texture.
Colossal was founded in 2021 with the goal of bringing back the woolly mammoth. The company has now expanded their efforts on de-extinction, looking to bring back the Tasmanian tiger and the dodo.