Dire wolves prowled the Earth around 300,000 years ago, but thanks to fossil records—and Game of Thrones—their legend lives on. | National Geographic

Scientists bring back dire wolves after 12,500 years of extinction. Colossal Biosciences has produced three dire wolf pups—two males and one female—using gene editing, cloning, and ancient DNA from fossils dated 13,000 to 72,000 years old. By editing 14 genes in gray wolf cells to match dire wolf traits like thick fur, stronger jaws, and broader skulls, scientists recreated the dire wolf phenotype. The embryos were implanted into domestic dogs. The pups, born in late 2024 and early 2025, now liv