Dire Wolf de-extinction claims are fake? Know the truth, details of what happened

A striking image of a snow-white wolf graced Time Magazine this week, stating the return of the dire wolf, a species that has been extinct for over 12,500 years.

Dallas-based biotech firm Colossal Biosciences claims it resurrected the iconic predator using gene-editing, cloning, and ancient DNA. However, scientists warn that these pups are not true dire wolves.

The Claim

Colossal Biosciences announced the birth of three dire wolf pups, named Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi (inspired from Game of Thrones), through editing gray wolf DNA to match traits of their extinct relative.

Using genetic material from a 13,000-year-old tooth and 72,000-year-old skull, the team altered 14 genes in gray wolves, introducing features like muscular limbs, broad skulls, and white coats, with its CEO Ben Lamm calling it a ‘magical leap’ for conservation.

ALSO READ: Dire Wolf 'resurrected' after 10,000 years: How they differ from Gray Wolves

The Reality Check - Direwolves vs Hybrids

Independent experts argue the pups are genetically modified gray wolves, not de-extinct dire wolves.

A report by the BBC highlighted that ancient DNA, degraded into ‘shards and dust’ over millennia, cannot be cloned directly. Instead, Colossal identified key genetic sequences from dire wolf fossils and edited them into gray wolf cells, creating hybrids with some dire wolf traits.

Notably, dire wolves (Aenocyon dirus) diverged from gray wolves (Canis lupus) 2.5 to 6 million years ago, placing them in separate genera.

Science or Spectacle?

Colossal’s method involved implanting edited embryos into domestic dog surrogates, sparking debate over what ‘de-extinction’ means. Critics counter that synthetic hybrids risk muddying conservation priorities.

Why It Matters

The dire wolf’s symbolism, from Game of Thrones to Ice Age lore, has captivated the public imagination. Yet, experts stress that true de-extinction remains impossible without intact DNA. Colossal’s work, while groundbreaking, underscores ethical and scientific limits. As the pups grow in secrecy at a USD 10 billion-funded facility, the question of how ethical this process is remains.

It is also worth noting that Colossal is also planning to ‘bring back’ the wooly mammoth and other extinct species like the Tasmanian Tiger using this method, amid a raging debate and many claiming a severe fallout or something going terribly wrong similar to the ‘Jurassic Park’ movies.