Dire wolf ‘extinct’ no more? Experts cast doubt on the return of Game of Thrones beast

“Extinction is still forever,” Paleogeneticist Dr Nic Rawlence from Otago University in New Zealand reacted to the ‘de-extinction’ of the Game of Thrones-famous dire wolf. It announced that it used “deft genetic engineering and ancient DNA” to breed three dire wolf puppies - Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi - and to "de-extinct" the species. However, independent scientists, like Zoologist Philip Seddon, have said the animals are not actually dire wolves but “genetically modified grey wolves.” Experts told BBC News that there are “important biological differences” between the “de-extinct” wolf on the cover of every news publication and the dire wolf that roamed during the last ice age and went extinct ages ago. “A grey wolf is the closest living relative of a dire wolf - they're genetically really similar - so we targeted DNA sequences that lead to dire wolf traits and then edited grey wolf cells.