Texas Startup Achieves World’s First Dire Wolf De-Extinction

In the heart of Texas, Colossal Biosciences—a Dallas-based biotech startup—is leading one of the boldest scientific endeavors of the 21st century: reengineering extinction. Nestled within one of the nation’s fastest-growing innovation hubs, the company is not only pushing the limits of genetic science but also reshaping the boundaries of what’s biologically possible.

Colossal Biosciences has announced a stunning scientific achievement: the successful creation of three dire wolf pups—Remus, Romulus, and Khaleesi—marking a major leap in the company’s bold mission to revive extinct species. Once extinct for over 12,000 years, dire wolves are now walking again, thanks to 20 targeted gene edits made to gray wolf cells. These edits were guided by ancient DNA recovered from a 72,000-year-old skull found in Idaho and a 13,000-year-old tooth unearthed in Ohio, as reported by Longview News-Journal.

The embryos were implanted into domestic dog surrogates—large hound mixes—that carried the genetically-engineered pups to term.

This breakthrough is part of Colossal’s broader ambition: to bring back species such as the woolly mammoth, the dodo, and the Tasmanian tiger. The company views de-extinction not only as a captivating scientific challenge but also as a gateway to advancements in human healthcare, biodiversity preservation, and commercial biotech innovation.

With a valuation of $10.2 billion following its latest funding round led by TWG Global, Colossal has raised $435 million from an impressive list of backers. Investors include Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, CIA-founded IQT, Guggenheim Partners’ Mark Walter, and high-profile names like Thomas Tull, Tony Robbins, Paris Hilton, and Winklevoss Capital.

Leading the scientific effort is renowned paleogeneticist Dr. Beth Shapiro, who has described Colossal’s approach as a “moonshot strategy”—a method of setting specific, ambitious targets to catalyze real-world scientific breakthroughs.

Beyond prehistoric revival, Colossal is also tackling present-day conservation. The company recently cloned two litters of endangered red wolves using a novel, non-invasive blood cloning technique. The pups—named Hope, Blaze, Cinder, and Ash—represent another facet of Colossal’s vision: leveraging frontier genetics to support and expand endangered populations.

As Dallas emerges as a hotbed for frontier science, Colossal’s work signals a new era where the impossible becomes tangible. Whether reviving extinct species or pioneering conservation methods, the company stands at the forefront of a movement that could reshape not only ecosystems, but the future of life sciences itself.