Dire Wolf: Extinct or 'De-extinct?'

After their extinction 10,000 years ago, the resurrection of dire wolves seemed impossible. Their existing DNA was fragmented and damaged, significantly reducing the possibility of bringing them back. Despite these challenges, on April 7, 2025, Colossal Biosciences announced the “de-extinction” of dire wolves. In order to achieve this, Colossal used gray wolf DNA as a foundation. The company edited specific genomes from the gray wolf to better align them with the genomes of dire wolves, but they were missing a lot of genes within the genome. Because of this, the process has sparked debate about whether these creations can truly be considered dire wolves. 

At the beginning of the project, researchers at colossal searched for the closest living relative of the dire wolf and decided on the gray wolf. Due to their similar skeletal structures and other physical characteristics, it was previously believed that the two species were closely related. However, a 2021 study debunked this, discovering that dire wolves were not wolves at all, but rather the last of a dog lineage that evolved in North America. Approximately 5.7 million years ago, the dire wolf and gray wolf did share a common ancestor; however, over time, they became increasingly distanced from one another. Despite this divergence, the two species continued to share physical traits as a result of their similar hunting patterns. 

Recognizing that wolves belong to different genera, Colossal proceeded with the experiment. After analyzing a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old ear bone from dire wolves, scientists identified specific DNA sequences, although they were unable to recover the complete genome. Despite missing many genomic components, Colossal isolated the available genes to create a DNA sequence. They then obtained a blood sample from a gray wolf to determine its DNA sequence for comparison. Upon discovering some similarities, Colossal confirmed that the gray wolf is indeed the closest living relative of the dire wolf. With this confirmation, they used CRISPR technology to modify 0.3% of the gray wolf's DNA in a cell, leaving 99.7% of the original sequence. Colossal then implanted this cell into the embryo of a domesticated dog, which was then placed into a surrogate dog. 

While Colossal Biosciences’ achievement marks a significant step forward in genetic engineering, they did not resurrect the dire wolf. What they have created is a genetically modified gray wolf that shares some visual and behavioral characteristics with the dire wolf, but lacks the complete genetic makeup that created dire wolves. While the achievement demonstrates the power of genetic engineering, it also highlights its limitations. The creature born from this experiment may look like a dire wolf, but genetically, it is still a gray wolf with minor edits. It will take much more evidence and time before humans will achieve “de-extinction.”

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Sources:

• Dire Wolf - Colossal Colossal.comhttps://colossal.com › direwolf  

• Dire Wolves Were Not Really Wolves, New Genetic Clues ...Scientific 

Americanhttps://www.scientificamerican.com › article › dire-wolve… 

• BBCExperts dispute Colossal claim dire wolf back from extinction2 weeks ago 

• Science | AAASWhat’s the deal with dire wolves? Iconic predators may have been ‘the Neanderthals of the wolf world 2 days ago 

• Scientists say they have resurrected the dire wolfCNNhttps://edition.cnn.com › 2025/04/07 › science › dire-w...