Through the successful reviving of dire wolves, the Dallas-based biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences has demonstrated that Texas is at the forefront of gene editing, conservation, and de-extinction research worldwide.
A Texan biotech company based in Dallas has revived the dire wolf, a scientific feat from a sci-fi movie or Game of Thrones episode. This Monday, Texas-based Colossal Biosciences reported the birth of three genetically modified dire wolf pups: Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi.
Colossal scientists created the first “de-extincted” mammal using cutting-edge gene editing techniques and ancient DNA from a 13,000-year-old fossil tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull. With 20 precision genetic modifications, 15 from prehistoric variants, these pups aren't merely wolf relatives. Colossal calls them “dire wolves reborn.”
“Texas is known for thinking big — and now we're proving that includes rewriting what's possible in science,” said native Texan CEO and co-founder Ben Lamm. “This is Lone Star innovation with global impact.”
The dire wolves are being kept on a 2,000-acre American Humane-certified sanctuary with strict security and skilled care. Colossal is also cloning endangered red wolves, demonstrating how its high-tech de-extinction strategy might help conservation efforts.
The corporation is collaborating with Indigenous leaders to reintroduce the species on protected grounds, which local conservationists say may make Texas a global animal recovery hub.
Colossal cultural advisor George R.R. Martin termed the feat “real-world magic made in Texas.”
Texas is leading the nation in industry, culture, and reviving the ancient wild, from cattle ranches to genomic coding.
A Texas-based subsidiary of Canadian utility EPCOR Utilities has filed plans to convert a decommissioned power plant on Galveston Bay into a central desalination facility, signaling a new push to address the state’s long-term water security challenges.
The City of Galveston has announced plans to create a National Juneteenth Center at the site where freedom was proclaimed for enslaved Texans in 1865, marking an essential step toward preserving the city’s historic role in the nation’s emancipation story.
Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen has reached a confidential agreement with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, resolving a legal battle over his peace officer’s license that has stretched for more than a year.