{"id":22756,"date":"2025-09-17T23:47:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T23:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/22756\/"},"modified":"2025-09-17T23:47:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T23:47:07","slug":"dodo-one-step-closer-to-returning-from-extinction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/22756\/","title":{"rendered":"Dodo one step closer to returning from extinction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scientists are one step closer to resurrecting the dodo after creating gene-edited chickens<\/a> that could lay eggs carrying the extinct bird.<\/p>\n

A team at Colossal Biosciences in Texas has successfully created chickens without their own primordial germ cells, ready for the insertion of reconstructed dodo DNA.<\/p>\n

Primordial germ cells become sperm or eggs, so once dodo DNA has replaced the chicken cells and been fertilised, the chickens will lay \u201cdodo\u201d eggs.<\/p>\n

The team has also grown pigeon primordial germ cells for the first time, a crucial step in the process because pigeons are the dodo\u2019s closest relatives.<\/p>\n

\"Artwork<\/p>\n

The dodo became extinct in the 17th century – DeAgostini\/Kevin Lyles\/Getty<\/p>\n

Because it is impossible to use germ cells from a live dodo, scientists must first start with a pigeon germ cell and edit in dodo DNA before it can be transferred to a chicken.<\/p>\n

Colossal said the breakthrough was \u201ca pivotal step in bringing back the dodo\u201d, which \u201cpaves the way to create the world\u2019s first dodos in nearly 300 years\u201d.<\/p>\n

It also opens the door for saving other species<\/a> of birds.<\/p>\n

\u2018A significant advancement\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cOur avian team\u2019s breakthrough in deriving culture conditions that allow pigeon primordial germ cells to survive long-term is a significant advancement for dodo de-extinction,\u201d said Ben Lamm, chief executive and co-founder of Colossal.<\/p>\n

The flightless, 3ft-tall dodo became extinct in the 17th century, 100 years after it was discovered on the island of Mauritius.<\/p>\n

Not only was it hunted by humans, it also became prey for the dogs, cats and pigs that arrived with sailors exploring the islands of the Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n

In 2022, researchers sequenced the genome of the dodo for the first time, from a stuffed specimen in Denmark, and discovered that its closest relative was the Nicobar pigeon.<\/p>\n

By using Nicobar pigeon DNA as a template, scientists can edit parts of the genetic code to make it closer to dodo DNA.<\/p>\n

b’<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

‘<\/p>\n

Colossal has established a colony of breeding Nicobar pigeons in Texas that have started laying eggs, and from those embryos the team has collected the first primordial germ cells.<\/p>\n

Those germ cells are being grown in the lab, and will be tweaked to make them as close as possible to dodo DNA.<\/p>\n

A flock of surrogate chickens, edited so they are ready for the dodo DNA, has also been created.<\/p>\n

To make a dodo, the avian team is planning to inject the modified germ cells into developing chicks. When they grow up and mate, their eggs will hatch dodos rather than chickens.<\/p>\n

Experiments have already shown that the cultured germ cells successfully migrate to the gonads when injected into the surrogate chicken embryos, which will be crucial for creating hybrids.<\/p>\n

The team is so confident that they can bring back the dodo that they are already in talks with the government of Mauritius to find a suitable habitat.<\/p>\n

\"Cells<\/p>\n

Dodo DNA is being edited into that of Nicobar pigeons<\/p>\n

Colossal has also established the Mauritius Dodo Advisory Committee, to help develop a dodo rewilding program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dr Devina Lobine, of the Mauritius Institute of Biotechnology, who is leading the committee, said: \u201cI am driven by a deep passion for scientific discoveries and inspired by the dream of seeing the dodo walk the earth once more.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis journey is more than reviving a lost species \u2013 it is about honouring our island\u2019s unique heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Birds trickier than mammals<\/p>\n

Colossal has already claimed to have brought back the extinct dire wolf, although some scientists have questioned that claim.<\/a><\/p>\n

The firm is planning to resurrect the mammoth, but birds are trickier than mammals.<\/p>\n

In mammals, it is possible to locate the DNA-containing nucleus and swap it into an egg cell, before implanting it into a surrogate.<\/p>\n

But in birds, the nucleus is a tiny dot in the middle of the yolk which is virtually impossible to find.<\/p>\n

Instead, scientists must create a surrogate which produces the DNA of another species when it breeds, known as a chimera.<\/p>\n

Having a bank of pigeon germ cells and surrogate chickens, could also allow the team to resurrect other similar species, such as the critically endangered tooth-billed pigeon and the extinct Rodrigues solitaire.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis breakthrough in culturing pigeon primordial germ cells represents a transformative tool for avian conservation,\u201d said Beth Shapiro, Colossal\u2019s chief science officer.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy developing these protocols, we\u2019re establishing crucial bio-banking capabilities and opening new possibilities for genetic rescue of endangered species.\u201d<\/p>\n

The research is published in the Journal of Heredity.<\/p>\n

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scientists are one step closer to resurrecting the dodo after creating gene-edited chickens that could lay eggs carrying…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22757,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[85,46,20902,20901,141,386],"class_list":{"0":"post-22756","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-nicobar-pigeon","11":"tag-primordial-germ-cells","12":"tag-science","13":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22756\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}