Colossal Biosciences advances dodo resurrection project using AI

by@Reuters

Summary

Colossal Biosciences has announced significant progress in its efforts to resurrect the extinct dodo bird, which vanished from its native Mauritius in the 17th century due to human activity and introduced invasive species. The Dallas-based biotech firm has reported that it has filled 95% of the dodo genome and developed the GenoMorph AI platform to identify key genetic changes responsible for the bird's unique traits. Colossal plans to introduce these traits into the cells of the Nicobar pigeon, the dodo's closest living relative. The company is also collaborating with local scientists and conservationists to prepare Mauritius for the potential reintroduction of the dodo. In addition to the dodo, Colossal aims to bring back several other extinct species, including the woolly mammoth and the thylacine.

Analysis

Ben Lamm: Ben Lamm is the CEO and co-founder of Colossal Biosciences. He provided context on the dodo de-extinction effort, emphasizing its symbolic importance as an example of human-caused extinction and the need for ecological preparation in Mauritius before any potential reintroduction. Lamm highlighted ongoing collaboration with Mauritian authorities on habitat restoration and invasive species removal. Beth Shapiro: Beth Shapiro is the chief science officer at Colossal Biosciences. She explained how the GenoMorph AI platform identifies gene-editing targets by analyzing skull and beak development across dozens of living bird species, overcoming the limitation of having only one complete dodo genome available. Shapiro noted that the platform narrowed candidates to around 2,300 targets now under lab validation. Colossal Biosciences: Colossal Biosciences is a Dallas-based US biotech company focused on de-extinction projects to resurrect extinct species. In this news, it announced progress on reviving the dodo through gene editing of its closest living relative, the Nicobar pigeon, using its new AI platform GenoMorph to pinpoint genetic targets for the bird's distinctive traits. The company previously applied similar techniques to engineer dire wolf traits into gray wolves and maintains a growing colony of Nicobar pigeons for research. AI Tool Development: The company built the GenoMorph AI platform specifically to find gene-editing targets in species with very limited surviving DNA, such as the dodo. De-extinction Focus: Colossal Biosciences targets multiple extinct species for revival, including the dodo, dire wolf, woolly mammoth, thylacine, bluebuck antelope, and moa.

Categories

techaimachine_learning
View Original Tweet