Scientists Are Closer to Reviving the Long-Lost Dodo with New Landmark Avian Genetics Breakthrough
Scientists are one step closer to seeing the return of the long-extinct dodo, with the latest breakthrough by Texas-based Colossal Biosciences.
The company revealed on Wednesday that it has successfully cultured pigeon primordial germ cells (PGCs) for the first time, marking a significant milestone that it says will help to enable its plans for engineering dodo genetics.
Along with the announcement of its avian genetics advancements, Colossal said in a press release that it had also secured $320 million in new funding, which it says will accelerate its ambitious de-extinction and conservation projects.
Earlier this year, Colossal made headlines with the announcement that it had successfully engineered the births of a trio of wolf pups that closely resemble the extinct dire wolf, a Pleistocene-era species popularized in recent years by its appearances in the popular series Game of Thrones.
At the heart of Colossalβs dodo project is the Nicobar pigeon, which is the closest living relative to the extinct bird. Using gene-edited chickens possessing no germ cells of their own, the Colossal scientists plan to insert Nicobar pigeon PGCs that will act as surrogates, which they say will potentially allow chickens to lay eggs that will hatch into pigeons.
This, combined with high-quality genome data from other species closely related to the dodo, such as the Rodrigues solitaire and the critically endangered tooth-billed pigeon, brings the de-extinction of this species closer to reality than ever before.
https://thedebrief.org/scientists-are-cl...akthrough/
Scientists are one step closer to seeing the return of the long-extinct dodo, with the latest breakthrough by Texas-based Colossal Biosciences.
The company revealed on Wednesday that it has successfully cultured pigeon primordial germ cells (PGCs) for the first time, marking a significant milestone that it says will help to enable its plans for engineering dodo genetics.
Along with the announcement of its avian genetics advancements, Colossal said in a press release that it had also secured $320 million in new funding, which it says will accelerate its ambitious de-extinction and conservation projects.
Earlier this year, Colossal made headlines with the announcement that it had successfully engineered the births of a trio of wolf pups that closely resemble the extinct dire wolf, a Pleistocene-era species popularized in recent years by its appearances in the popular series Game of Thrones.
At the heart of Colossalβs dodo project is the Nicobar pigeon, which is the closest living relative to the extinct bird. Using gene-edited chickens possessing no germ cells of their own, the Colossal scientists plan to insert Nicobar pigeon PGCs that will act as surrogates, which they say will potentially allow chickens to lay eggs that will hatch into pigeons.
This, combined with high-quality genome data from other species closely related to the dodo, such as the Rodrigues solitaire and the critically endangered tooth-billed pigeon, brings the de-extinction of this species closer to reality than ever before.
https://thedebrief.org/scientists-are-cl...akthrough/
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"