Dolcy D’Cruz
dolcy@herald-goa.com
Known scientifically as Aenocyon dirus, the dire wolf was once one of North America’s most formidable carnivores and later gained pop culture fame through HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ - symbolizing the Stark family’s strength and fate with each of the five children receiving one pup. Grey Wind was adopted by Robb, Lady, adopted by Sansa, Nymeria, adopted by Arya, Shaggydog, adopted by Rickon, Summer, adopted by Bran and Ghost, adopted by
Jon Snow.
A huge wolf, the dire wolf was lost for 12,500 years and has been brought back from the dead and will be roaming in a pack by the end of this year, claim the scientists at Colossal Biosciences. Just this week, the company announced that three white dire wolf puppies have been born, which is the first creature ever to become de-extinct.
George RR Martin, author of the saga ‘A Song of Fire and Ice’ which was adapted for HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ series, invented dire wolves in his fantasy world. Now, in the real world, he has the opportunity to actually hold the pups in his arms, thanks to Peter Jackson, the director of ‘Lord of the Rings,’ also an investor in Colossal Biosciences.
The private company founded by George Church, a biologist at Harvard Medical School, and tech entrepreneur Ben Lamm, with gene editing advances had made it possible to produce offsprings born from surrogate mothers.
We know the dire wolves from ‘Game of Thrones’ but keeping the show aside, it is a global historic moment, which opens up endless scientific possibilities, especially to reopen chapters that have been permanently closed. Let us now wait and watch what else is there to surprise us considering the milestone achieved.
—Annelise Fernandes, Merces
The dire wolves in ‘Game of Thrones’ weren’t just pets; they were powerful symbols of the Stark children themselves. Each dire wolf mirrored the personality, fate, or path of their respective Stark child. With de-extinction projects, scientists have made progress in understanding the real dire wolves — and now, with advances in genetic research, there’s talk about ‘that they are back.’ It’s really cool that something introduced to most people through fantasy is now becoming part of real-world science.
—Bindiya Vaval, Ribandar
The very first episode of the epic saga of ‘Game of Thrones’ introduced us to dire wolves. As the show progresses, we learn that these powerful, mythical creatures are not only are they tough, menacing creatures, they are also fiercely loyal and deeply connected to the Starks of Winterfell. Dire wolves symbolize the Stark legacy and Northern strength, often appearing in scenes where they are required for protection or for foreshadowing. Any appearan ce by any of these dire wolves has been epic in its own right and also a fan favourite moment.
—Pranav Naik, Panjim
As a ‘Game of Thrones’ fan, seeing the revival of a creature 10,000 years ago in real time is nothing short of astonishing. When the kids from the House of Stark encounter a pack of wolf puppies abandoned on their land, they immediately proceed to adopt them. Each direwolf is shown to share a unique bond with its owner, often reflecting their personality. This feat blurs the line between fantasy and reality and one can stand in awe at biotechnology’s incredible progress. Reintroducing extinct species could disrupt ecosystems and ironically threaten existing ones including grey wolves. Re-engineering ancient species could possibly bring new light to better understanding genetics and help prevent future extinctions. This could be the start of a fascinating era where science meets fantasy and among other things seeing our favourite creatures come to life might just be worth the wait.
—Velsey Carrasco, Porvorim
Despite being a fan of the show when it aired, I didn’t really associate this scientific feat with it. There’s a lot in ‘Game of Thrones’ that’s better as fiction. It is, however, exciting to learn about the advancements in genetic analysis. While there’s nothing much we could have done about species that went extinct thousands of years ago, I hope they use this breakthrough to aid in the conservation and de-extinction of species that have gone extinct or functionally extinct due to human intervention.
—Gwenlyn Noronha, Margao