The billion-dollar startup aims to de-extinct the iconic dodo bird

Colossal Biosciences will try to revive the long-gone bird using its saved DNA information and the genes of the Nicobar pigeon.

Previously Colossar has announced recreation of the Tasmanian wolf and the woolly mammoth. Colossar biologists reached remarkable progress and succeeded much in genetic engineering, however, the company has not yet managed to create any kind of animal.

In case of reviving of the mammals, like elephants, the solution is cloning. But cloning option does not work in case of a bird egg – a huge cell. Bird`s DNA requires a different approach — manipulations with embryonic cells inside the egg under the shell. This technology is mastered worse, but biologists hope to succeed.

“By gathering the smartest minds across investing, genomics, conservation and synthetic biology, we have the opportunity to reverse human-inflicted biodiversity loss while developing technologies for both conservation and human healthcare," declared Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal.

The long-gone dodo is considered nowadays as a symbol of human irresponsibility. This symbolism has attracted the attention of Colossal biologists. They believe that the revival of the bird will mark a completely different approach of humanity to nature.

Dodo was a flightless bird weighing about 20 kilograms that lived in Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. When in the XVII century the island became part of the busy sea routes, hunters destroyed all of dodo birds in a few decades.