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De-Extinction Company Announces "Rebirth" of Dire Wolf
Colossal Biosciences announces the "rebirth" of the dire wolf, a species extinct for over 12,500 years, using de-extinction technology and CRISPR gene editing.
Photo of animal, grey, wildlife, and wolf by Michael LaRosa (@mlarosa97)
A company specializing in de-extinction has announced the "rebirth" of the dire wolf, a species that had been extinct for over 12,500 years. Colossal Biosciences, which describes itself as the "world's only de-extinction company," revealed the new dire wolves in a video on social media, celebrating the announcement as a “leap forward for science.”
The company stated that scientists obtained dire wolf DNA from fossils in 2021 and edited the DNA of gray wolves to include important features of the dire wolf. This resulted in the birth of three dire wolf puppies, marking the "world's first successfully de-extincted animal." Colossal Biosciences has been working on de-extinction projects since 2021, including the mammoth, the Tasmanian tiger, and the dodo bird.
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The company's CEO and co-founder, Ben Lamm, said the milestone demonstrates the effectiveness of their de-extinction technology stack. The company shared a video of two dire wolf cubs howling, claiming it marks the “first howl of a dire wolf in over 10,000 years.”
Colossal Biosciences stated that the dire wolf's "rebirth" is not only a significant milestone for the company but also a "leap forward for science, conservation, and humanity." The company's goal is to "revolutionize history" by using CRISPR technology to successfully de-extinct previously lost species.
The announcement has highlighted the company's efforts in genetic engineering and de-extinction technology. The dire wolf, featured in HBO's "Game of Thrones" series, is the first species to be de-extincted using this technology.
