The Dire Wolf lives ...

Month-old Dire Wolf puppy, Romulus. – Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences

Meet Romulus, a Dire Wolf brought back to life via gene editing of a different kind, something considered to be science fiction, until now.

For decades, dire wolves have captivated the imaginations of gamers, musicians, and fantasy fans.

From Dungeons & Dragons and World of Warcraft to Game of Thrones, these prehistoric predators have lived on as cultural icons far more than biological realities –until now.

In a stunning scientific breakthrough, Dallas-based Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences has brought the legendary canid back from extinction, making it the world’s first successfully de-extincted animal.

To de-extinct the dire wolf, Colossal extracted and sequenced ancient DNA from two fossils—a 13,000-year-old tooth from Ohio and a 72,000-year-old inner ear bone from Idaho.

Using a novel iterative genome assembly method, the company produced the most complete dire wolf genomes to date.

The analysis revealed that the dire wolf shares 99.5% of its DNA with the gray wolf—its closest living relative, not the jackal as was previously believed.

The genome also uncovered unique extinct variants linked to traits such as skeletal and muscular strength, sensory adaptation, and a thick white coat suited for Ice Age climates.

How cool is that? :)