Three puppies—Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi—were bred using edited grey wolf embryos. But experts say these are not true dire wolves.
A striking white wolf graces the cover of Time Magazine with the headline: “Return of the Dire Wolf.” Behind the headline is Colossal Biosciences, which claims to have “de-extincted” the Ice Age predator using genetic engineering and ancient DNA.
Three puppies—Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi—were bred using edited grey wolf embryos. But experts say these are not true dire wolves.
“They’re genetically modified grey wolves,” said zoologist Philip Seddon. Paleogeneticist Dr Nic Rawlence added, “What Colossal has produced is a grey wolf… a hybrid.”
Colossal edited 20 gene changes into grey wolf DNA to mimic dire wolf traits like white fur and large skulls. “A grey wolf is the closest living relative,” said Colossal’s Dr Beth Shapiro.
However, Rawlence warned, “Extinction is still forever… If we don’t have extinction, how are we going to learn from our mistakes?”
The wolves are now housed in a private U.S. facility, as Colossal eyes future projects involving the woolly mammoth and Tasmanian tiger.