Scientists are attempting to bring back the extinct species of the Dodo bird and the Woolly Mammoth according to Smithsonian Magazine.
Colossal Biosciences, a biotechnology company based in Austin, Texas, has spent over a year studying the recreation of the dodo, the woolly mammoth, and the Tasmanian tiger and has since raised $225 million for its efforts.
Colossal founder Ben Lamm told Vice,
“I think this is an opportunity where, given the man-made nature of the extinction of the dodo, man could not only bring the dodo back but also fix what was done to parts of the ecosystem to reintroduce them.”
The flightless bird and the mammoth have been extinct for centuries due to natural phenomena like climate change, vegetation shortage, loss of their natural habit, and the role of human activity. However, scientist believe they have the tools to de-extinct the animals. Not quite like before but more of a
duplication for that matter. Ben Lamm and his team of 40 scientists plan on
“editing the genes from the Nicobar pigeon, the dodo’s closest living relative,”
reports state.
According to Beth Shapiro, the lead paleogeneticist at Colossal, the team have already successfully
“sequenced”
the extinct birds DNA by using their original gene codes. Next, they plan on removing the germ cells from an egg of a pigeon, alter the genes to make them more
“dodo-like”
then implant the cells back into a pigeon egg, Shapiro told CNN’s Katie Hunt. The new modifications are supposed to help the bird withstand today’s climate.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
