Ben Lamm, an American entrepreneur, is making headlines with his biotechnology firm, Colossal Biosciences, which has successfully brought back the long-extinct dire wolf through groundbreaking “de-extinction technologies.”As detailed in a press release dated April 7, 2025, the company has welcomed three healthy dire wolf puppies into the world.
“Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies. It was once said, ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ Today, our team gets to unveil some of the magic they are working on and its broader impact on conservation,” the release shared.
This remarkable achievement follows Colossal Biosciences’ recent announcement regarding the successful genetic engineering of the woolly mouse just last month. Lamm conveyed to USA Today that their comprehensive “end-to-end (de-extinction) toolkit”has demonstrated efficacy, expressing enthusiasm for their venture into “ancient DNA.”
Founded in 2021 in Dallas, Texas, by Lamm and renowned Harvard geneticist George Church, Colossal’s mission encompasses the de-extinction of various species, including the woolly mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, and dodo bird.
Understanding Ben Lamm’s Financial Success
As the co-founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, Ben Lamm has rapidly become a recognized figure in the realm of biotechnology. Forbes currently estimates his net worth at approximately $3.7 billion. His journey included a notable $15 million seed funding milestone in 2019 for utilizing CRISPR technology in conservation biology efforts.
By 2021, Lamm had made headlines with claims regarding the revival of the woolly mammoth, attracting significant investments from high-profile celebrities like Paris Hilton, Tom Brady, and Chris Hemsworth. To date, Colossal has amassed around $235 million in funding.
His entrepreneurial portfolio includes founding several successful companies. Among them are Simply Interactive, Chaotic Moon Studios, and Team Chaos, which had been acquired by major corporations such as Agile and Zynga. More recently, he established Form Bio in 2022 to enhance scientific efficiencies and launched Breaking, a startup focused on plastic degradation, in April 2024.
In addition, Lamm founded the Colossal Foundation in October 2024, a biobanking nonprofit that has since raised $435 million, highlighting his commitment to scientific advancement.
Colossal Biosciences: Pioneering Innovations
Colossal Biosciences is not just focused on de-extinction; their research also delves into gene editing for disease resistance and population genomics, utilizing advanced stem cell technologies for a variety of species. Their talented team of over 60 scientists operates across multiple laboratories in the USA, including the Dallas lab, Church Lab at Harvard, and the Boston Lab, along with a collaboration site at the University of Melbourne in Australia.
The successful revival of the dire wolf marks a significant milestone, as this predator roamed North America approximately 13,000 years ago. Resembling a larger version of the gray wolf, the dire wolf was more robust, with thick legs and strong jaws, weighing around 150 pounds and measuring over six feet long.
Colossal’s Chief Science Officer, Beth Shapiro, and her team sourced ancient DNA from a 13,000-year-old Ohio tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull from Idaho to create two dire wolf genomes. By comparing these genomes to existing species, they identified the gray wolf as the closest living relative, with an impressive 99.5% DNA match.
After modifications to the gray wolf genomes, researchers successfully fertilized dire wolf eggs and implanted them into surrogate dog mothers, resulting in the birth of three puppies. The two male pups, named Romulus and Remus, were born in October 2024, while the female pup, Khalessi, arrived in January 2025. These charming creatures reside in a 2,000-acre ecological preserve in northern USA, exhibiting distinct golden yellow eyes.
In a recent interview, Lamm described the pups as “super friendly” and noted their adaptive behaviors. Their resurrection holds cultural significance, especially as the dire wolf is featured in popular media, including the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin, whose investment in the project reflects his emotional connection to its characters.
“I write about magic, but you have created magic,” the fantasy author added.
The dire wolf’s legacy extends beyond literature into the realms of video gaming and tabletop role-playing. Its revival is not merely a scientific achievement but also serves to promote global conservation efforts, aligning with Lamm’s philosophy of intertwining conservation science with cultural relevance.
Moreover, the project has inadvertently contributed to the birth of critically endangered American red wolves, showcasing the innovative applications of advanced cloning technologies.