Has the Dire Wolf Really Been Brought Back from Extinction? Here’s What’s Actually Happening

The internet lit up recently with claims that the dire wolf “the legendary Ice Age predator often associated with pop culture giants like Game of Thrones” has been “brought back from extinction.”

But the truth is less sci-fi resurrection and more science-in-action as they created the so-called Dire Wolf by modifying a grey wolf with the help of AI technology.

The first dire wolf pup in 10,000 years. Image from: Christopher Klee of Colossal Biosciences

The buzz began after research groups hinted at breakthroughs in genetics and species revival. Some reports suggested that scientists had succeeded in reviving traits of the dire wolf through advanced DNA mapping and hybridization experiments, bringing back a dire wolf after 10,000 years of their complete extinction.

However, experts are quick to clarify and explain why the dire wolf is not literally back.

While it’s true that researchers have been able to sequence the dire wolf genome, and it's a milestone announced in a 2021 Nature study. This doesn’t mean cloning or Jurassic Park-style rebirth is happening just yet.

According to Nature, the findings did reveal that dire wolves (Canis dirus) were more genetically distinct from modern wolves than previously thought, to the point of being classified in their own separate lineage.

In fact, dire wolves split from the ancestors of gray wolves nearly 5.7 million years ago and are more of a sibling species than a direct ancestor. That makes the path to any form of genetic “recreation” highly complex and possibly requiring more advanced techniques of gene editing or crossbreeding with modern canids to reintroduce certain traits.

According to Popular Science, one biotech firm, Colossal Biosciences, which gained attention for its plans to resurrect the woolly mammoth, has floated the idea of bringing back extinct species like the Dire Wolf through synthetic biology. They announced their success in bringing back Dire Wolf pubs from 10,000 years of extinction, but it turned out to be just genetically modified grey wolves and nothing else.

Based on our research, here are the main points explaining why the "dire wolf" claim is misleading and isn't true:

Genetic Modification is Not De-Extinction:

Colossal Biosciences genetically modified a grey wolf, but it did not bring back a dire wolf from extinction.

Here's why:

• They used AI and machine learning to compare dire wolf and grey wolf DNA, then edited the grey wolf DNA to resemble the dire wolf's.   
• Only 14 genes were edited, which is considered by many to be insufficient to recreate an extinct species.

Limited Genetic Data:

The genetic modifications were based on DNA extracted from limited fossil remains (a tooth and a bone), and here's why the claim couldn't stand on its own ground:   

• This limited data may not represent the full genetic diversity of the extinct dire wolf.

Behavioral Unknowns:

Even if the modified wolves look similar to dire wolves (to some extent), their behavior and cognitive abilities are unknown and likely different as:

• Physical similarity does not guarantee behavioral or ecological equivalence.

Marketing vs. Scientific Reality:

The company's claims of "de-extinction" are seen as marketing hype, as many news sources have just published the news without properly researching it or giving any conclusive proof.

• There is skepticism about the company's stated goals of biodiversity, with concerns that it will lead to "extinct animal" zoos and further genetic engineering.

Analogy to Dog Breeds:

The genetic changes are more comparable to the differences between dog breeds (like a Yorkie and a Doberman) than the recreation of an extinct species. Both dog breeds are the same species, but have visual differences.

But even worse is that these futuristic plans of de-extinction of such species are years, maybe decades, away from anything resembling a living, breathing dire wolf, and we have AI to make things even worse, such as this new claim of bringing the Dire Wolf back from extinction.

So, no — you won’t be seeing dire wolves in the wild or in a wildlife park any time soon.

What we do have, though, is a clearer picture of one of Earth’s most iconic predators, and a glimpse into how far genetic science has come in understanding and potentially reviving ancient life.

Bottom line: The dire wolf remains extinct, but modern science is getting eerily close to understanding — and maybe one day mimicking — its lost DNA.