Dodo Nears Return: Colossal Biosciences’ Avian Breakthrough

Colossal Biosciences reports a major step toward restoring the dodo. Its avian team created gene-edited chickens that don’t produce their own primordial germ cells, clearing the way to insert reconstructed dodo DNA. In parallel, Colossal became the first to culture long-term pigeon germ cells—key because pigeons are the dodo’s closest living relatives—enabling a dodo-like blueprint that can be carried by chicken surrogates. A Nicobar pigeon breeding colony in Texas now supplies embryos for this pipeline, while a Mauritius Dodo Advisory Committee explores future rewilding. The update follows momentum from the Colossal dire wolf program, underscoring how de-extinction R&D can accelerate conservation tools for vulnerable species.

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