Scientists at Colossal Biosciences, a 'de-extinction' company, have announced a major breakthrough in their quest to bring back the dodo, a flightless bird that has been extinct for over 300 years. The company said on Wednesday that it has succeeded in growing pigeon primordial germ cells, which are precursor cells to sperm and eggs, for the first time. This is described as a 'pivotal step' in resurrecting the dodo, which was a type of pigeon.
Colossal, based in Texas, has also developed gene-edited chickens that will act as surrogates for the dodos. These chickens will be injected with primordial germ cells from Nicobar pigeons, the closest living relatives of dodos. After further gene edits to create the desired body and head shape, the chickens could eventually breed dodos. Ben Lamm, Colossal's chief executive, estimated that the dodo's return could happen within five to seven years, with the goal of producing thousands of birds to be reintroduced into the wild in Mauritius, their former home.
The dodo once inhabited the forests of Mauritius without natural predators, but human activity, including hunting and the introduction of invasive species like macaques, pigs, and rats, led to its extinction. The last reliable sighting was in 1662. Colossal's approach uses CRISPR gene-editing technology to turn back the clock, but some experts have raised concerns about the definition of these gene-edited species and their role in modern ecosystems.
Beth Shapiro, Colossal's scientific chief, called the breakthrough 'super exciting' but emphasised that the process would be slow and careful. However, Leonardo Campagna, an evolutionary biologist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, noted that while Colossal has made remarkable progress, challenges remain in replicating the dodo's genetic makeup and behaviour. He questioned whether the resulting bird would truly be a dodo, given the unknowns about its genome and interactions with the environment.
With about 2 million species currently at risk of extinction due to human impact, some experts warn that de-extinction efforts could divert attention from conservation. Rich Grenyer, a biologist at the University of Oxford, expressed concerns about the 'moral hazard' of such projects, while Colossal insists its technology can also aid endangered species.
