A U.S. company said more than two dozen healthy baby chickens have hatched from an artificial egg platform it has developed in what it calls a pivotal step in its plan to bring back the South Island Giant Moa, a large flightless bird from New Zealand that went extinct centuries ago.
The announcement was made this week by Colossal Biosciences, a company dedicated to "de-extinction," resurrecting vanished species. The moa is one of two birds – the dodo being the other – among the six species in its portfolio to revive, guided by ancient DNA. The company said last year that it had genetically engineered the dire wolf, an extinct Ice Age predator.
"Using our system, we have hatched 26 chicks, and we are now actively monitoring these birds as they grow up," Colossal CEO and co-founder Ben Lamm told Reuters.
The chicks hatched at Colossal's Dallas headquarters, Lamm said.
The artificial egg platform involves a bioengineered silicone-based membrane placed inside a rigid outer structure. The membrane was made to mimic an eggshell's gas-exchange function – permitting the embryonic bird to breathe oxygen by regulating the movement of gases and moisture.
