In a groundbreaking scientific feat, researchers at Colossal Biosciences have claimed that they have brought a shadow of the past back to life. Three genetically engineered wolf pups, bearing an uncanny resemblance to the long-extinct dire wolves, have been created using ancient DNA and cutting-edge gene editing technology. While they may look like the fierce predators that once roamed Ice Age North America, their behavior is far from wild.
The dire wolf, larger and more robust than today’s grey wolf, disappeared from the Earth over 10,000 years ago. But now, thanks to ancient fossils and CRISPR gene editing, Colossal Biosciences has revived their physical traits in a new generation of wolf pups, currently aged between three and six months and housed in a secure facility in the United States.
In order to recreate the look of the dire wolf, researchers studied ancient DNA retrieved from fossils, including most notably a 13,000-year-old tooth uncovered in Ohio and a 72,000-year-old fragment of a skull in Idaho. The well-preserved specimens allowed the scientists to extract important genetic features specific to dire wolf.
SOUND ON. You’re hearing the first howl of a dire wolf in over 10,000 years. Meet Romulus and Remus—the world’s first de-extinct animals, born on October 1, 2024.
The dire wolf has been extinct for over 10,000 years. These two wolves were brought back from extinction using… pic.twitter.com/wY4rdOVFRH
— Colossal Biosciences® (@colossal) April 7, 2025
Leaning on this information, the researchers edited 20 particular genes in contemporary grey wolf blood cells with CRISPR. These cells were then inserted into dog egg cells and placed into domestic dog surrogates. Three pups were born after a 62-day gestation period—genetically engineered to look like dire wolves.
Despite their striking looks, the pups aren’t expected to act like their extinct ancestors.
“What they will probably never learn is the finishing move of how to kill a giant elk or a big deer,” explained Matt James, Colossal’s head of animal care. Without wild parents to teach them survival skills, these pups are more symbolic than functional revivals.
Experts unaffiliated with the project, including Vincent Lynch of the University at Buffalo, caution that this isn’t a true resurrection of the dire wolf.
“You can make something look superficially like something else—but that’s not the same as bringing an extinct species back,” he said.
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This project is part of Colossal’s broader mission to “de-extinct” lost species through genetic engineering. The company has also embarked on similar efforts involving woolly mammoths, dodos, and critically endangered red wolves. In fact, they just reported successfully cloning four red wolves from blood taken from the rare wild population in the southeastern United States.
Though these close duplicates of the dire wolf may never prowl the grasslands as their ancestors once did, their development nonetheless represents a striking milestone in the blending of ancient genes and modern technology—where the past is no longer beyond reach.
