Scientists genetically engineer wolves like the extinct dire wolf
NEW YORK: Three genetically engineered wolves that may resemble extinct dire wolves are trotting, sleeping and howling in an undisclosed secure location in the US, according to the company that aims to bring back lost species.
The wolf pups, which range in age from three to six months old, have long white hair, muscular jaws and already weigh in at around 80 pounds — on track to reach 140 pounds at maturity, researchers at Colossal Biosciences reported Monday.
Dire wolves, which went extinct more than 10,000 years old, are much larger than gray wolves, their closest living relatives today.
Independent scientists said this latest effort doesn't mean dire wolves are coming back to North American grasslands any time soon.
'All you can do now is make something look superficially like something else'— not fully revive extinct species, said Vincent Lynch, a biologist at the University at Buffalo who was not involved in the research.
Colossal scientists learned about specific traits that dire wolves possessed by examining ancient DNA from fossils. The researchers studied a 13,000 year-old dire wolf tooth unearthed in Ohio and a 72,000 year-old skull fragment found in Idaho, both part of natural history museum collections.
Then the scientists took blood cells from a living gray wolf and used CRISPR to genetically modify them in 20 different sites, said Colossal's chief scientist Beth Shapiro. They transferred that genetic material to an egg cell from a domestic dog. When ready, embryos were transferred to surrogates, also domestic dogs, and 62 days later the genetically engineered pups were born.
Colossal has previously announced similar projects to genetically alter cells from living species to create animals resembling extinct woolly mammoths, dodos and others.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
08-04-2025
- Arab News
Scientists genetically engineer wolves like the extinct dire wolf
NEW YORK: Three genetically engineered wolves that may resemble extinct dire wolves are trotting, sleeping and howling in an undisclosed secure location in the US, according to the company that aims to bring back lost species. The wolf pups, which range in age from three to six months old, have long white hair, muscular jaws and already weigh in at around 80 pounds — on track to reach 140 pounds at maturity, researchers at Colossal Biosciences reported Monday. Dire wolves, which went extinct more than 10,000 years old, are much larger than gray wolves, their closest living relatives today. Independent scientists said this latest effort doesn't mean dire wolves are coming back to North American grasslands any time soon. 'All you can do now is make something look superficially like something else'— not fully revive extinct species, said Vincent Lynch, a biologist at the University at Buffalo who was not involved in the research. Colossal scientists learned about specific traits that dire wolves possessed by examining ancient DNA from fossils. The researchers studied a 13,000 year-old dire wolf tooth unearthed in Ohio and a 72,000 year-old skull fragment found in Idaho, both part of natural history museum collections. Then the scientists took blood cells from a living gray wolf and used CRISPR to genetically modify them in 20 different sites, said Colossal's chief scientist Beth Shapiro. They transferred that genetic material to an egg cell from a domestic dog. When ready, embryos were transferred to surrogates, also domestic dogs, and 62 days later the genetically engineered pups were born. Colossal has previously announced similar projects to genetically alter cells from living species to create animals resembling extinct woolly mammoths, dodos and others.
Leaders
08-04-2025
- Leaders
World's First De-extinction: Dire Wolf is Back After 10,000 Years
In an unprecedented scientific breakthrough, the US-based biotechnology company, Colossal Biosciences, has brough back the dire wolf after being extinct more than 10,000 years ago, according to CNN. By using ancient DNA, cloning and gene-editing technology, scientists announced on April 7 that they altered the genes of a gray wolf, and the process resulted in three puppies: Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi. Dire wolf petrous bone The researchers have extracted the ancient DNA from two dire wolf fossils and assembled two high-quality Aenocyon dirus genomes. Dire Wolf Then, the team conducted a concise comparison between the genomes with those of living canids such as wolves, jackals and foxes. Therefore, they were able to specify the genetic variants for the special features of dire wolves, such as white coats and thick fur. Through the data of the genetic analysis, scientists eventually altered gray wolf cells and conducted 20 edits in 14 genes. Consequently, they cloned the most significant cell lines and turned them into donor eggs. 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… — Colossal Biosciences® (@colossal) April 7, 2025 'Healthy developing embryos were then transferred into surrogates for interspecies gestation,' with three pregnancies that led to births of the first de-extinct species, Colossal said in its statement. Dire Wolf Importantly, the company noted that it depended on domestic dogs like surrogates, which are large, mixed-breed hounds. As a result, two male dire wolf pups were born on October 1, 2024, while a female pup was born on January 30, 2025. Wolf pups 'So, when I saw them born and they were white, I was like, we've done it. Those are dire wolves,' Beth Shapiro, Colossal's chief scientist, told ABC News. Related Topics: Genetic Breakthrough: KACST Constructs First Arabian Leopard Genome KFSHRC Detects 267 Fetal Genetic Disorders Through Prenatal Care University of Hail launches an introductory program for the Saudi genome Short link : Post Views: 193
Asharq Al-Awsat
08-04-2025
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Scientists Genetically Engineer Wolves with White Hair and Muscular Jaws
Three genetically engineered wolves that may resemble extinct dire wolves are trotting, sleeping and howling in an undisclosed secure location in the U.S., according to the company that aims to bring back lost species. The wolf pups, which range in age from three to six months old, have long white hair, muscular jaws and already weigh in at around 80 pounds — on track to reach 140 pounds at maturity, researchers at Colossal Biosciences reported Monday. Dire wolves, which went extinct more than 10,000 years old, are much larger than gray wolves, their closest living relatives today, The Associated Press reported. Independent scientists said this latest effort doesn't mean dire wolves are coming back to North American grasslands any time soon. 'All you can do now is make something look superficially like something else"— not fully revive extinct species, said Vincent Lynch, a biologist at the University at Buffalo who was not involved in the research. Colossal scientists learned about specific traits that dire wolves possessed by examining ancient DNA from fossils. The researchers studied a 13,000 year-old dire wolf tooth unearthed in Ohio and a 72,000 year-old skull fragment found in Idaho, both part of natural history museum collections. Then the scientists took blood cells from a living gray wolf and used CRISPR to genetically modify them in 20 different sites, said Colossal's chief scientist Beth Shapiro. They transferred that genetic material to an egg cell from a domestic dog. When ready, embryos were transferred to surrogates, also domestic dogs, and 62 days later the genetically engineered pups were born. Colossal has previously announced similar projects to genetically alter cells from living species to create animals resembling extinct woolly mammoths, dodos and others. Though the pups may physically resemble young dire wolves, "what they will probably never learn is the finishing move of how to kill a giant elk or a big deer," because they won't have opportunities to watch and learn from wild dire wolf parents, said Colossal's chief animal care expert Matt James. Colossal also reported today that it had cloned four red wolves using blood drawn from wild wolves of the southeastern US's critically endangered red wolf population. The aim is to bring more genetic diversity into the small population of captive red wolves, which scientists are using to breed and help save the species. This technology may have broader application for conservation of other species because it's less invasive than other techniques to clone animals, said Christopher Preston, a wildlife expert at the University of Montana who was not involved in the research. But it still requires a wild wolf to be sedated for a blood draw and that's no simple feat, he added. Colossal CEO Ben Lamm said the team met with officials from the US Interior Department in late March about the project. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum praised the work on X on Monday as a 'thrilling new era of scientific wonder' even as outside scientists said there are limitations to restoring the past. 'Whatever ecological function the dire wolf performed before it went extinct, it can't perform those functions" on today's existing landscapes, said Buffalo's Lynch.
