Twenty-six chicks successfully hatched from 3D-printed eggs.

A biotechnology company has successfully hatched chicks from 3D-printed eggshells. The company says it will pursue the revival of extinct animal species.

The image, provided by Colossal Biosciences, shows a chick hatched in an artificial environment - Source: AP

According to the Associated Press, on May 19, the biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences announced that it had successfully hatched chicks in an artificial environment. However, this breakthrough is receiving mixed reactions from scientists and critics.

Twenty-six chicks, ranging in age from a few days to a few months, were born from a 3D-printed lattice structure that mimics a natural eggshell.

Scientists pour fertilized eggs into an artificial system and then place them in an incubator. They add calcium (an element naturally absorbed from the eggshell) and record images of embryonic development in real time. This system has a membrane that allows the appropriate amount of oxygen to enter, similar to a real eggshell.

However, independent scientists argue that this technology still lacks some components to be considered a complete artificial egg. Evolutionary biologist Vincent Lynch of the University of Buffalo (USA) stated: "It's not an artificial egg because you've dumped all the other constituent parts of an egg into it. This is just an artificial eggshell."

Colossal Biosciences' system does not include the temporary organs that naturally form within the egg to nurture and stabilize the embryo and remove waste products.

The company stated that this technology was developed to revive extinct creatures. Previously, the company had announced the genetic modification of living animals to mimic lost species, such as long-haired mice resembling mammoths and wolf cubs with characteristics of dire wolves.

Ben Lamm, CEO of Colossal Biosciences, said that this artificial eggshell technology could be scaled up in the future to genetically modify modern birds into the giant, extinct Moa bird of New Zealand. Moa eggs were 80 times larger than chicken eggs, making it very difficult for modern birds to lay their own eggs or use surrogate mothers.

Artificial environment used for incubating eggs - Photo: AP

Many scientists assert that the complete revival of extinct animal species is nearly impossible. Furthermore, bioethicists have expressed concerns about the survival of revived animals in a current environment that has been completely altered from its past.

Vincent said: "They could use this technology to create a genetically modified bird, but it would just be a genetically modified bird. It wouldn't be a Moa."

HUMANITY

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ap-no-thanh-cong-26-chu-ga-con-tu-trung-in-3d-2026052020345906.htm