Colossal’s Genetic Rescue Plan for Northern White Rhinos Advances

Colossal Biosciences and the BioRescue consortium outline a fast-track plan to revive the functionally extinct northern white rhino. Using IVF embryos created from eggs of the last two females (Najin and Fatu) and banked sperm, the team will implant embryos into southern white rhino surrogates. To widen genetic diversity, scientists will extract DNA from historic trophy specimens and museum skulls, then engineer eggs and sperm—an approach dubbed “synthetic genetic rescue.” Colossal’s chief animal officer says first calves could be three to four years away. The work parallels recent progress on avian de-extinction, including cultured pigeon germ cells for Colossal’s dodo program, building a platform for species recovery at scale.

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