India, April 8 -- The dire wolf, a species that has been extinct for nearly 12,500 years, has been brought back to life thanks to genetic engineering. Scientists are calling this the "world's first de-extinction." The species is famous from its appearance in the HBO hit series Game of Thrones.

In a press release, Colossal Biosciences, the Texas-based genetic engineering company, announced the birth of three dire wolves.

"This is a revolutionary milestone of scientific progress that illustrates another leap forward in Colossal's de-extinction technologies and is a critical step on the pathway to the de-extinction of other target species," the company said.

Colossal Biosciences also successfully cloned two litters of red wolves, the worl...