Texas company Colossal Biosciences said on Monday its researchers had used cloning and gene-editing based on two ancient samples of dire wolf DNA to birth three modern dire wolf pups.
Colossal’s chief executive Ben Lamm called the development a “massive milestone”.
In a statement, Mr Lamm said: “Our team took DNA from a 13,000 year old tooth and a 72,000 year old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies.
Researchers at Colossal explained the de-extinction process involved taking blood cells from a living grey wolf – the dire wolf’s closest living relative – and genetically modifying them in 20 different sites.
That has led to some skepticism within the scientific community about how closely the pups resemble dire wolves.
Romulus and Remus were hailed as ‘the world’s first de-extinct animals’ (Colossal Biosciences via AP)“Species concepts are human classification systems, and everybody can disagree and everyone can be right,” Dr Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s chief science officer, told the magazine.
“There is going to be an argument in the scientific community regarding how many genes need to be changed to make a dire wolf, but this is really a philosophical question,” he told CNN.
The dire wolf is a mainstay of fantasy settings in pop culture, with mentions in role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons and video games like World of Warcraft.
Mr Martin, an investor in Colossal and cultural adviser for the company, said: “Many people view dire wolves as mythical creatures that only exist in a fantasy world, but in reality, they have a rich history of contributing to the American ecosystem.”
Colossal also announced it had cloned four red wolves using blood drawn from wild wolves of the southeastern US’ critically endangered red wolf population.
Additional reporting by the Press Association
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