The dodo has always been the symbol of final extinction. “It will suffer the same fate as the dodo” is a way of saying that something is doomed forever: but Colossal Biosciences is proving that even extinction is not what it used to be.
Now, with $320 million in fresh funding and pigeon germ cells growing like never before, the Texas startup aims to turn the proverb into a scientific lie.
The pigeon that becomes a dodo
Last Wednesday, theAvian Genetics Group Colossal announced that it has grown for the first time primordial germ cells (PGC) from pigeons. It may seem like a technical detail in a laboratory, but it's the key to unlocking a door that seemed sealed forever. These cells, precursors to sperm and eggs, had only been successfully cultured in chickens and geese. The team tested over 300 combinations of molecular growth factors to overcome this evolutionary barrier.
“Our achievement in culturing pigeon primordial germ cells is a significant advance for the de-extinction of the dodo,” he said. Ben Lamm, CEO of Colossal. With the recent round of funding, the company's total valuation now stands at $10,3 billion. That's more than just a joke.
The plan: genetically modify the germ cells of the Nicobar pigeon, the closest living relative of the dodo, to make them express the characteristics of the extinct bird. These cells will then be inserted into genetically modified "carrier" chickens, devoid of their own germ cells, which will act as “surrogate parents".
Church's lesson and the limits of perfection
George Church, the Harvard geneticist who co-founded Colossal with Lamm in 2021, has always emphasized a crucial distinction: it's not a question of "resurrection" but of "functional de-extinction"The result will not be a dodo identical to the one that pecked fruit in the forests of Mauritius in the 1600s, but a hybrid creature that will share many characteristics.
It's a bit like rebuilding a classic car using the chassis of a modern model. It will work, it will look like the original, but it will never be exactly the same. Church and his team know this well.: they have already applied this philosophy to “woolly mice” genetically modified to resemble mammoths and to wolves modified to resemble say wolf prehistoric.
Dodo, Mauritius and the return "home"
But where would a 21st-century dodo live? Colossal has partnered with the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation To identify suitable habitats on the island that was the species' original home. The problem is that Mauritius today is no longer the same as it was in the 17th century (although the rats and other predators that contributed to the dodo's extinction are still there).
The company also formed the Mauritius Dodo Advisory Committee, a group of local experts who will guide future conservation efforts. As reported by CNN, the goal is to create a climate of “conservationist optimism” (oh well) in an era marked by climate change and biodiversity loss.
According to Colossal's estimates, the first "functional dodo" could see the light within 5-7 yearsThe process will require successive generations of selective breeding to refine the desired characteristics: from the robust build to the inability to fly, to the docile behavior (let's just say "fish-eating," to use a Neapolitan term) that made these birds such easy prey.
Beyond Nostalgia: Technologies That Matter
Beyond the spectacular aspect, the real benefits of these projects could come from technological by-productsThe techniques developed for the dodo are already finding application in the conservation of existing endangered species. Beth ShapiroColossal's Chief Science Officer is using similar methods to reintroduce genetic diversity to the Mauritian pink pigeon, which has been reduced to just 10 individuals twice in the last century.
More generally, studies on primordial germ cells could revolutionize avian reproductive biology, offering tools to save species like theHawaiian Honeycreeper, threatened by avian malaria, or to develop disease resistance in vulnerable populations.
Skeptics and supporters: the debate continues
Not everyone is convinced that bringing the dodo back to life (or de-extinct it) is a priority. Even Julian Hume, paleontologist of the Natural History Museum of London, warns that even in case of success the result will be “just a dodo-like creature”, not the original animal. Other researchers raise deeper questions: How will a "resurrected" animal behave in an ecosystem that has evolved without it for three centuries?
Again: as we told for the woolly mice of Colossal, these projects represent crucial testbeds for technologies that could make a difference in preserving the present, not just “de-extinction” the past.
The dodo that will (perhaps) return to walk on Mauritius won't be the one depicted in 17th-century bestiaries. But it could teach us enough about the life and death of species to help us prevent other animals from truly "going the way of the dodo."
A paradox that Church and his colleagues seem willing to embrace: and with them, many investors. Who will survive, or die, will see.
