Can We Bring Back the Dodo Bird?

The iconic dodo bird has been extinct for over 300 years, but Dallas-based Colossal Biosciences is leading an ambitious mission to revive this peculiar, flightless creature. On September 17, the biotech company proudly announced a groundbreaking achievement: they successfully grew primordial germ cells — the essential precursors to eggs and sperm — from rock doves, also known as common pigeons.

Next Steps in the Dodo Resurrection Project

Colossal's next challenge lies in gene-editing the primordial germ cells from the Nicobar pigeon, the dodo's closest living relative. These genetically modified cells will be pivotal in crafting a genome that mirrors the dodo. To facilitate this, the company has established a breeding colony of Nicobar pigeons in Texas, where they are focusing on developing suitable germ cells for editing.

Ben Lamm, CEO and co-founder of Colossal Biosciences, stated, "Our avian team’s breakthrough in creating sustainable culture conditions for pigeon primordial germ cells marks a significant stride toward dodo de-extinction. This progress underscores how our investments in de-extinction technology pave the way for key discoveries that enhance both our conservation and revival initiatives."

The Challenges of Cloning Birds vs. Mammals

Cloning birds poses unique challenges compared to mammals. In mammals, the process is relatively straightforward: take an unfertilized egg, remove its nucleus, and insert a donor nucleus. However, in birds, eggs are laid after embryos start to develop, complicating the cloning method. While scientists have successfully cultured and gene-edited primordial germ cells of chickens and geese, attempts with other species have not fared well.

A Promising Breakthrough

Colossal faced the daunting task of sorting through over 300 experimental methods before discovering a technique that could sustain pigeon primordial germ cells for 60 days. Though the methods remain untested in peer review, they represent a significant leap forward in the science of de-extinction.

How They Plan to Create a Dodo Bird

The innovative strategy involves injecting the gene-edited Nicobar germ cells into chicken embryos. These chickens will then grow with pigeon-representing cells in their reproductive systems, allowing them to potentially lay an egg that could hatch a pigeon. Adding further gene edits could eventually yield a dodo-like bird.

The Vision for the Future