Giant prehistoric bird Moa about to be revived

With advances in gene editing technology, the dream of bringing extinct species back to the wild is getting closer to reality.

Colossal Biosciences, famous for its mammoth resurrecting project, is moving on to recreating moas – giant birds that once lived in New Zealand and have been extinct for more than 600 years. Photo: Colossal Biosciences.

The project used ancient DNA from moa bones to reconstruct the genome, compared it with the closest living species, the emu and tinamou, then edited the gene and implanted it into eggs of ostriches as surrogate hosts. Photo: Colossal Biosciences.

This process combines CRISPR technology and reproductive stem cells, which Colossal has successfully used to create dire wolf-like creatures and mice with mammoth fur. Photo: Colossal Biosciences.

The project, a collaboration between the University of Canterbury and the Ngāi Tahu tribe, was funded by $15 million from director Peter Jackson, who owns a large collection of moa bones. Photo: Pinterest.

Some scientists worry that resurrecting moa could destabilize the ecosystem and that conservation of endangered species should be prioritized over resurrecting extinct ones. Photo: Pinterest.

However, Colossal and the Maori community believe that moa can restore natural ecosystems and have deep spiritual and historical significance to indigenous culture. Photo: Pinterest.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/sap-hoi-sinh-loai-chim-moa-khong-lo-thoi-tien-su-post1554025.html