#de-extinction

#de-extinction

Colossal Biosciences said on Wednesday it has succeeded in growing pigeon primordial germ cells, precursor cells to sperm and eggs, for the first time. This is a pivotal step in bringing back the dodo, which was a type of pigeon, for the first time in more than 300 years, according to Colossal. The Texas-based company, which has made splashy headlines for its plans to reestablish wooly mammoths and dire wolves, said it has also developed gene-edited chickens that will act as surrogates for the dodos.

Colossal Biosciences will use genes extracted from moa bones to engineer modern birds until they very closely resemble the extinct moa.

It's stimulating curiosity, that's the most important thing. I grew up imagining all sorts of things, imagining flying cars, imagining a woolly mammoth.

The very idea of de-extinction raises profound questions about the meaning of extinction and how we treat life, whether living, endangered, dead or extinct.

Colossal Biosciences claims to have restored the dire wolf, but in reality, they merely edited gray wolf genes, raising questions about species definition.

"For the first time in human history, (we have) successfully restored a once-eradicated species through the science of de-extinction," its website boasted.

The revival of the Dire Wolf heralds the advent of a thrilling new era of scientific wonder, showcasing how the concept of de-extinction can serve as a bedrock for modern species conservation.

Colossal claims it has "successfully restored a once-eradicated species through the science of de-extinction" for the "first time in human history" but this is incorrect.