Scientists announce dire wolf has been brought back from extinction

This undated photo provided by Colossal Biosciences shows Romulus and Remus, both three months old and genetically engineered with similarities to the extinct dire wolf (Colossal Biosciences/AP)

The dire wolf – an extinct animal made famous in the TV series Game Of Thrones – has been brought back from extinction after more than 10,000 years, a biotech start-up has announced.

Texas company Colossal Biosciences said on Monday its researchers had used cloning and gene-editing based on two ancient samples of dire wolf DNA to birth three modern dire wolf pups – two six-month-old males named Romulus and Remus and a three-month-old female named Khaleesi.