It's been quite the week for science news after biotech company Colossal Biosciences announced that it had brought back dire wolves (Aenocyon dirus) from extinction after more than 10,000 years. But do these wolf pups really count as the "world's first de-extinction," as the company claims?
The three pups — Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi — were created by genetically engineering the cells of modern-day gray wolves (Canis lupus). The researchers did this by reconstructing the dire wolf's genome from ancient DNA and identifying 20 key differences between this genetic sequence and that of the gray wolf, which the company says are responsible for the dire wolves' distinguishing characteristics.
