Animals

The story of dire wolves goes beyond de-extinction

Genetic tools used to create the fluffy, white pups could be used to help at-risk animals

Two white dire wolves stand next to each other in front of a snowy background.

Scientists at Colossal Biosciences announced the de-extinction of dire wolves, animals that lived during the Pleistocene.

Colossal Biosciences

By Meghan Rosen

Their names are Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi, and they’re the first dire wolves to walk the Earth in over 10,000 years — or so one biotech company and a flurry of recent headlines say.

On April 7, Colossal Biosciences announced what they called the “world’s first de-extinction,” the births of three dire wolves, extinct animals that lived during the ice ages of the Pleistocene.