Ya Dodon’t say?
Scientists at a Texas-based company made a major breakthrough towards reviving the dodo bird nearly 300 years after extinction.
Colossal Biosciences announced on Wednesday that researchers had, for the first time, successfully grown pigeon primordial germ cells, the precursor cells to sperm and eggs.
“Our avian team’s breakthrough in deriving culture conditions that allow pigeon primordial germ cells to survive long-term is a significant advancement for dodo de-extinction,” Colossal CEO and co-founder Ben Lamm said in a press release.
“This progress highlights how Colossal’s investment in de-extinction technology is driving discovery and developing tools for both our de-extinction and conservation efforts,” Lamm said.
The company’s Avian Genetic Group described this as a “pivotal step” toward bringing back the flightless bird which last roamed the Earth in 1662 on the island of Mauritius, and which has become synonymous with the phenomenon of extinction.
“The first cell culture recipe was for chicken PGCs, and was published nearly 20 years ago,” said Anna Keyte, Avian Species Director said in the release.
“Unfortunately, that recipe has not worked on any other bird species tested, even closely related species like quail. Colossal’s discovery of a recipe for pigeons dramatically expands avian reproductive technologies and is the foundation for our dodo work.”
Colossal, who already boasts high-profile investors like actors Chris Hemsworth, Nicholas Braun and activist-influencer Paris Hilton, is attempting to raise $120 million more to achieve the de-extinction of the dodo and several other long-gone species.
The woolly mammoth, the Tasmanian tiger, the dire wolf, and the South Island Giant Moa are all in Colossal’s sights for species revival.
Back in July, Colossal announced they were teaming up with “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson to bring back the Moa, which is native to the auteur’s home of New Zealand.
The company claimed to have revived the 13,000-year-extinct “dire wolf” in April by mixing ancient DNA harvested from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull with DNA from a contemporary gray wolf.
Colossal has previously projected that they would be able to produce woolly mammoth calves by the year 2028.