Colossal Biosciences is reportedly using gene-editing and 3D-printed artificial eggs to attempt the resurrection of the giant moa bird, according to reports on Facebook. This effort follows claims that the company successfully resurrected extinct dire wolves and continues its work on the woolly mammoth.
## Colossal Biosciences and 3D-Printed Eggs
Colossal Biosciences is reportedly working to bring back the giant moa bird by combining gene-editing technology with 3D-printed artificial eggs, according to a post by Awesome Stuff 365 on Facebook. This project is said to be backed by Peter Jackson.
The company’s efforts extend to other extinct species. According to Facebook reports from both Awesome Stuff 365 and a Dinosaurs group, Colossal Biosciences is also working on bringing back the mammoth and the Tasmanian devil. The same sources claim the company has already successfully resurrected extinct dire wolves.
## The Framework of De-Extinction Practice
While high-profile corporate projects capture public attention, the scientific community has worked to standardize the discipline of de-extinction. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the term “de-extinction” gained significant public interest in March 2013. This surge followed a series of live-streamed talks at the TEDxDeExtinction event, which was hosted by the National Geographic Society and organized by the conservation non-profit Revive & Restore. During this event, Revive & Restore announced its flagship project, known as “The Great Passenger Pigeon Comeback.”
The NIH notes that de-extinction is introduced as a method to “undo” historic extinctions by restoring new versions of extinct species to their former habitats. To provide structure to these efforts, a special committee of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published a set of guidelines for de-extinction practice in 2016. These guidelines established the first detailed description of the practice, though the NIH reports that inconsistencies in published literature regarding de-extinction technologies and purposes persist.
## Evolutionarily Torpid Species and Recovery
A critical distinction in the field involves how scientists classify species that are not entirely gone. The NIH describes a classification termed “evolutionarily torpid species.” This term applies to species that are falsely considered extinct but actually persist in the form of cultured cells or cryopreserved tissues.
By identifying species as evolutionarily torpid, scientists can move them out of the purview of de-extinction and into the arena of species’ recovery. This classification separates the restoration of certain species from traditional de-extinction, which often relies on breeding strategies to recover unique extinct phenotypes.
The NIH reports that these efforts involve several biological and ecological strategies, including:
– Precise hybridization
– The use of proxies
– Reintroduction and ecological replacement
These methods are used to address the biological inconsistencies found in earlier definitions of the practice, such as those provided by the IUCN. Since de-extinction breeding programs first gained public attention in 2013, the field has produced a growing body of peer-reviewed literature and continues to spark ethical, social, and technological debates.
