Animals World’s First "De-Extinction": Birth of Dire Wolves

[Tautalus]

Colossal Biosciences announced Monday that it had successfully created Romulus and Remus, two six-month-old pups created using genetic modifications derived from DNA found in fossils dating back 11,500 to 72,000 years. The organization, which called the process the first successful "de-extinction," explained in a statement that it edited 20 gray wolf genes with this DNA — from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull — to give the pups some of the main characteristics of dire wolves. This "de-extinction" was achieved through edits to the gray wolf's genetic code. Colossal says that "no ancient dire wolf DNA was inserted into the gray wolf genome."​

Dire Wolf - Colossal

A verifiable, essential apex predator who left behind troves of evidence of both its existence and impact to the ecosystem—and whose mythos continues beyond legend to this day.

colossal.com

But it's not really a de-extinction, the ancient species does not come back to life.

No, the dire wolf has not been brought back from extinction

Colossal Biosciences claims three pups born recently are dire wolves, but they are actually grey wolves with genetic edits intended to make them resemble the lost species

www.newscientist.com