How Tom Brady helped bring dire wolf back from extinction

Article content

Tom Brady has done some pretty incredible things over the course of his life, both on the field during his spectacular NFL career and off the gridiron.

During his playing days with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he won seven Super Bowls and three NFL MVP awards, setting several records along the way.

He has dated Hollywood star actresses and married a Brazilian supermodel.

He signed the richest deal for an NFL commentator in history and called the Super Bowl earlier this year.

And last year he became a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.

So, why not add a little thing like helping bring a long-extinct species of animal back to life?

On Monday, Brady celebrated the announcement of the groundbreaking development in the so-called “de-extinction” of the dire wolf following a breakthrough by Colossal Biosciences.

But how does the football legend figure into this scientific breakthrough? Brady is on the company’s cultural advisory board and reportedly also is an investor.

“So proud of the team for the hard work, passion, and countless hours that have gone into this project!!!” Brady posted in an Instagram Story featuring Time Magazine’s cover with a picture of one of the cubs.

Brady also shared a passage from Time’s feature on the project, posting details from the article.

“Relying on deft genetic engineering and ancient, preserved DNA, Colossal scientists deciphered the dire wolf genome, rewrote the genetic code of the common gray wolf to match it,” Time reported.

“Using domestic dogs as surrogate mothers,” Colossal Biosciences were able to bring three pups into the world – males Romulus, Remus and their “sister,” two-month-old Khaleesi – during three separate births since last fall.

Colossal CEO Ben Lamm shared similar sentiments to Brady while praising his team.

“This massive milestone is the first of many coming examples demonstrating that our end-to-end de-extinction technology stack works,” Lamm said in a statement, according to Business Wire.

“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.”

Brady isn’t the only celebrity involved in the project, either. According to the New York Post, Colossal counts several members of the cast of Game of Thrones on its cultural advisory board, including Sophie Turner and Kit Harrington, as well as series author George R.R. Martin.

Dire wolves were part of the lore from the beloved HBO show that ran from 2011-2019.