In a groundbreaking move, scientists at Colossal Biosciences have launched a project to bring the dodo back from extinction after 361 years. The company, which also hopes to revive the woolly mammoth, has raised $150m in funding to support the project.
Colossal Biosciences’ founders, Harvard geneticist George Church and entrepreneur Ben Lamm, announced the plan for the extinct flightless bird on Tuesday. The dodo, which once lived on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, weighed up to 39 pounds and stood three feet tall. It became extinct due to humans making it impossible for the bird to survive in its native habitat.
Beth Shapiro, a board member on Colossal’s Scientific Advisory Board and lead paleogeneticist on the project, believes that genetic advancements in ancient DNA will be vital for the success of the de-extinction and eventual re-wilding of the dodo. Shapiro was the first to fully sequence the dodo’s genome and is thrilled to collaborate with Colossal and the people of Mauritius on this project. She also looks forward to furthering genetic rescue tools focused on birds and avian conservation.
Colossal Biosciences has 40 scientists working on its woolly mammoth de-extinction project, which aims to fuse the DNA of mammoths frozen in ice for thousands of years with that of modern Asian elephants. The company describes the revived mammoth as “the cuddly version of a velociraptor”. Colossal Biosciences says that its work is important for making advances in the medical and environmental fields.
The project has received both excitement and criticism from the scientific community. Some argue that de-extinction technology should not be used for bringing back extinct animals but should instead focus on preserving endangered species. Others have raised concerns about the ethical implications of bringing back extinct animals and reintroducing them into the wild. There are also questions about whether the environment and ecosystems are still suitable for the reintroduction of these extinct animals.
However, Colossal Biosciences believes that this project will make a significant contribution to protecting endangered and extinct gene variants. It will also offer opportunities for carbon sequestration, nutrition, and new materials.
The dodo project is not without its challenges, but Colossal Biosciences is optimistic about the potential benefits it could bring. The company plans to work with the people of Mauritius to reintroduce the dodo back to its natural habitat once it has been revived. This could be a significant milestone in the fight against extinction and for the future of the world’s ecosystems.
