(Marc Andreu/Courtesy of Colossal Biosciences https://bit.ly/3JB3xSN)
A startup named Colossal has announced plans to revive the extinct dodo (Raphus cucullatus).
The dodo was a large flightless pigeon that lived on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean but had been erased by humans and invasive species by the 17th century.
The startup, founded by geneticist George Church and entrepreneur Ben Lamm, plans to use gene editing to do this.
The company is taking a similar approach to restoring the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) and marsupial wolf (Thylacinus cynocephalus).
Investors have already allocated $150 million for the resurrection of dodos.
FROM PIGEONS TO DODOS
The company will first compare the genomes of the dodo, which was first sequenced last year, and its closest living relative, the maned pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica)
They want to find key genetic differences between both species.
After that, they will make the appropriate changes in the primary germ cells of pigeons, grow the edited egg and transfer its genome into an unfertilized egg.
Then this egg will be placed in the body of a surrogate mother: a domestic chicken.
If everything goes well, the chicken will lay an egg, from which a bird will hatch that looks like a dodo.
Thus, the end result of Colossal's efforts will not be a real dodo, but a genetically edited, maned dove that resembles it.
Even though genetic editing of birds is in its infancy, it is easier to work with them than with mammals.
This means that revived dodos may appear before mammoths.
By the way, there has been no news about the status of the mammoth and marsupial wolf projects for a long time
Sources:
- The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/jan/31/gene-editing-company-hopes-to-bring-dodo-back-to-life
- MIT Review: https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/01/31/1067417/a-de-extinction-company-is-trying-to-resurrect-the-dodo/
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Not surprising to see George Church's name here. This is definitely right in his wheelhouse. I was a big fan of his until his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein came to light. Now I'm not sure what to think...
I'm definitely interested to see what (if anything) comes of the de-extinction effort, though. $150 million is a lot of money.
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