Workflow
Researchers launch new effort to revive extinct species
NBC Newsยท2025-07-14 00:30

Company Overview - Colossal Biosciences is a genetic engineering company focused on de-extinction of species like the direwolf and woolly mammoth [2] - Colossal aims to undo past human actions that led to extinction [3] De-extinction Technology - De-extinction involves extracting DNA from ancient remains and editing genes of current relatives to create embryos or eggs of extinct animals [3] - Peter Jackson, director of Lord of the Rings, is partnering with Colossal and providing access to 300-400 Moa bones [4] Moa Bird Project - The Moa was a 13.5 ft (approximately 4.11 meters), 500 lb (approximately 226.8 kilograms) giant bird native to New Zealand, with nine known species [1] - Humanity hunted the Moa to extinction approximately 600 years ago [2] - The goal is to provide the resurrected Moa with a natural environment [4] Conservation and Ethical Considerations - Ecologists raise concerns about potential risks associated with de-extinction technologies and the release of resurrected species into the environment [5] - Colossal believes bringing back extinct species can highlight the biodiversity crisis [5]