For years scientists and the general public as a whole have wondered what it would be like to be able to see a creature from the past running around in person. From a T-Rex to a mammoth, the idea of being able to view extinct creatures from the past has only ever been just that, an idea. Now, however, that idea might be becoming more and more of a possibility. Last week, on April 7th, scientists working for the company, Colossal Bisciences have seemed to have gotten close to bringing back an animal more than thousands of years extinct. That animal is the dire wolf.
The dire wolf is a type of wolf species that was said to be around during the Ice Age. The wolves have sort of become famous due to their inclusion in the book and TV series, Game of Thrones. It is also said to be one of the largest wolf species on the planet before the last ice age caused them to go extinct. However, with the fossils and DNA found inside of them the scientists at Colossal Biscienses have gotten close to bringing this species back to life. To accomplish this, the scientists combined the fossil DNA with grey wolves, who are said to have the closest genetic relation to dire wolves, to create wolf embryos. The embryos were then implanted on pregnant wolves.
On October 1st of last year three wolves, Romulus, Khaleesi, and Remus were born from the experiment. It was found that these three pups were born with genetic traits that can be found and attributed to the dire wolf species. While the three new wolves are not 100% a one-to-one return to what a dire wolf is, their birth has launched a big step toward the possibility of other species we thought to have been lost forever having a chance of returning.
