The Dire Wolf is a creature from the popular game: Game of Thrones. When many people hear the dire wolf’s name, they instantly think of the creature from Game of Thrones, but not many know about it’s existence in reality. Currently, the wolf is extinct, however scientists have completed a gene editing process using two fossils from thousands of years ago to re-create the dire wolf. There were three that were made in the laboratory: two adolescent wolves, Romulus and Remus, and a female pup name Khaleesi.
Colossal Lab did this by extracting and sequencing ancient DNA from the two fossils mentioned previously to create a wolf with the most dire wolf genomes in history (a genome is the part of the DNA that characterizes the organism, like determining how they act or look like). As of April 2025, the wolves reside in a 2000+ acre ecological preserve registered with the USDA. It includes specialized engagement zones, zoo-grade fencing, and redundant perimeter security. The preserve is continuously monitored with security surrounding the perimeter. As the small dire wolves grow up, they will be moved into a bigger preserve to ensure the most comfortable lifestyle possible to support the scientist’s research on gene editing and the species itself.
RELATED STORIES:
- https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/dire-wolves-return-after-13000-years
- https://time.com/7274542/colossal-dire-wolf/
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2025/04/08/dire-wolf-extinction-gene-editing-colossal/
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/04/08/dire-wolves-back-game-of-thrones-photos/82987589007/
- https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g9ejy3gdvo
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