Dodo Bird on Verge of Coming Back to Life After 300 Years of Extinction

A exemplary of the extinct dodo vertebrate connected show successful Mauritius. Credit: Markus U. / Flickr / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The dodo, a vertebrate that vanished successful the 17th century, has agelong stood arsenic the eventual awesome of extinction. Now, a Texas-based biotechnology institution says the taxon could soon instrumentality to Mauritius, its erstwhile land home.

Colossal Biosciences announced Wednesday it has grown pigeon primordial germ cells—precursors to sperm and eggs—for the archetypal time. The institution described the breakthrough arsenic a decisive measurement toward reviving the dodo, which has been extinct for much than 300 years.

Gene-edited chickens arsenic surrogates

The firm, already known for headline-grabbing efforts to reconstruct woolly mammoths and dire wolves, said it has besides engineered chickens to enactment arsenic surrogates. These chickens volition beryllium implanted with germ cells from Nicobar pigeons, the dodo’s closest surviving relatives.

With cistron edits to recreate the bird’s distinctive assemblage and caput shape, the process could yet marque dodo breeding possible.

Five to 7 years for return

Chief enforcement Ben Lamm said the task could scope its extremity successful arsenic small arsenic 5 to 7 years. He stressed that Colossal aims to make thousands of genetically divers dodos, not conscionable a token pair, truthful they tin past successful the wild. The institution is moving with conservation groups to place rat-free areas successful Mauritius wherever the birds mightiness 1 time roam again.

🚨🦤✨ HUGE breakthroughs connected the way to bringing backmost the dodo. From gene-edited birds to the archetypal pigeon primordial germ cells, and more, extinction is losing.

Scroll done and consciousness the emergence of “Big Dodo Energy.”

(1/11) pic.twitter.com/HMWPKeXefm

— Colossal Biosciences® (@colossal) September 17, 2025

Extinction driven by hunting and situation loss

Dodos erstwhile wandered the forests of Mauritius without predators, until hunting and situation nonaccomplishment accelerated their decline. European sailors and invasive taxon specified arsenic pigs, macaques, and rats pushed the flightless vertebrate to extinction. The past confirmed sighting came successful 1662, erstwhile a Dutch sailor described it arsenic “a benignant of precise large goose.”

Reintroduction volition beryllium gradual

Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s main scientist, called the accomplishment “super exciting” aft a twelvemonth of enactment connected gene-editing birds, which she said are much challenging than mammals. She emphasized that reintroduction would beryllium gradual and intimately managed.

While the ecological effects are uncertain, she said bringing backmost a ample fruit-eating vertebrate could present “happy surprises.”

Scientists stay cautious

Skeptics stay cautious. Leonardo Campagna, an evolutionary biologist astatine the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, said Colossal’s enactment is awesome but faces large hurdles. Re-creating the dodo’s antithetic face, wings, and size whitethorn ne'er beryllium exact, helium said. “But is this successful information the dodo? We request to admit that determination is simply a batch we don’t cognize and possibly ne'er will.”

SCIENCE

A measurement person to the Dodo

Since its demise successful the 17th century, the Dodo has agelong been synonymous with extinction.

Thousands could soon populate Mauritius, the species’ erstwhile home, according to a “de-extinction” institution that announced a breakthrough successful its quest to… pic.twitter.com/4FLdEtc1IQ

— Grouse Beater (@Grouse_Beater) September 17, 2025

Other experts interest astir the ethics. Rich Grenyer, a biologist astatine the University of Oxford, warned that gene-edited animals are “a benignant of simulation” and hazard distracting from urgent conservation needs. Habitat destruction, clime change, and hunting present endanger astir 2 cardinal taxon worldwide, with extinction rates acold faster than historical norms.

Celebrity investors backmost Colossal

Despite doubts, Colossal is attracting almighty backers. On Wednesday, the institution revealed it had raised different $120 million, lifting its valuation to $10.2 billion. Among the investors are celebrities similar movie manager Peter Jackson, who has backed efforts to resurrect the moa, a elephantine vertebrate erstwhile autochthonal to New Zealand.

Lamm said the dodo task should beryllium seen arsenic portion of broader conservation enactment and arsenic a mode to animate nationalist involvement successful science. “So immoderate you privation to telephone them,” helium said, “as agelong arsenic you’re calling them something.”