It seems that bioengineering continues to be one of the most talked-about fields in the realm of human progress, although for now these developments focus on more 'viral' advances rather than true leaps forward for humanity. Colossal Biosciences made headlines relatively recently as a leading company in this field, announcing that it had managed to 'resurrect' the extinct species of the dire wolf, with a litter of healthy specimens. Following that, the US company turned its attention to reviving other species long since vanished from our planet, such as the woolly mammoth, and has now made a significant breakthrough in bringing back the legendary New Zealand moa, a giant bird with a wingspan of over three metres that went extinct 600 years ago.
One of the main hurdles was incubating the Moa's genetic material in a shell of the right size, and they may now have found the key. The company has now announced (in a report that has not been peer-reviewed or verified, mind you) that it has successfully raised 26 healthy chicks from artificially created eggs. The advantage of these eggs is that their production is scalable, which could lead to the production of eggs capable of developing Moa embryos... or even larger creatures.
To bring back a giant Moa, the scientists explain that they would need to carry out genetic manipulation on cells at an early stage, similar to what was done with the dire wolf. And in turn, a species capable of producing these eggs is required. For the moment, Colossal has not chosen a candidate; the Australian emu and the tinamou are possible candidates for this project.
Do you think we will soon see the revival of the giant moa? Which other extinct species would you like to see brought back?
Thanks, Fuente.