Cloning the fearsome wolf: Reviving an extinct creature for the first time in 13,000 years.

In a remarkable scientific development reminiscent of science fiction movies, "Colossal Biosciences" announced an unprecedented achievement of cloning three wolves carrying characteristics of a species extinct for thousands of years, the fearsome dire wolf, widely known for its appearance in the series "Game of Thrones." For a long time, scientists have dreamed of bringing back extinct species to life in what is scientifically known as "de-extinction," and today this dream seems to be coming true. In 2021, an independent team managed to extract the DNA of the dire wolf from fossils dating back to over 13,000 years ago. Building on this discovery, scientists at "Colossal" modified 20 genes of the gray wolf to acquire some distinctive features of the extinct wolf, such as immense size and dense pale fur. The modified embryos were implanted in surrogate dogs, resulting in the birth of three healthy pups: two males at six months old, and a female at two months old, named Romulus, Remus, and Kalisie by the scientists. These wolves possess physical traits that set them apart from their gray counterparts, making them closest to a contemporary version of the fearsome dire wolf. The cloned wolves currently reside in a 2000-acre private reserve in a secret location in northern United States. According to Beth Shapiro, Chief Scientific Officer at "Colossal," these wolves represent the first successful case of reviving an extinct species, indicating that they are not just recreating creatures from the past but "creating functional copies of once-living organisms." Although these wolves will remain in the reserve, the technology used may pave the way for saving endangered species, such as the red wolf, now only found in North Carolina. The choice of the dire wolf as an initial project was due to its technological suitability, given its close relation to dogs, allowing scientists to leverage previous experiences in cloning dogs and implanting their embryos, a feature lacking in most extinct species. The current value of "Colossal" is estimated at around ten billion dollars, and in 2023, it began focusing on the dire wolf as a preliminary step to bringing back other forgotten species. What was once a scientific fantasy is now a reality walking on all fours.