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A promising new partnership aims to bring an end to extinction and create a future where dodos once again walk the Earth.
Colossal Biosciences and the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, a genetic engineering firm and conservation nonprofit, are working to resurrect the iconic dodo and restore its native habitat on Mauritius, an island that lies off Africa’s east coast.
Known for their expertise in avian rescue and ecological monitoring, the Foundation’s collaboration will ensure that any revived dodo population has a sustainable environment to thrive in. As Colossal’s Chief Animal Officer Matt James notes, successful de-extinction relies on the animals being rewilded in their natural habitats.
Leading this mission is Dr. Beth Shapiro, the scientist who first sequenced the dodo genome.
Her team is using DNA from the dodo's closest relative, the Nicobar pigeon, along with advanced genetic editing techniques involving surrogate chickens.
These efforts coincide with another project targeting the pink pigeon, a critically vulnerable bird species also native to Mauritius. By using gene-editing technology to boost its dwindling genetic diversity, Colossal hopes to prevent the pink pigeon from facing extinction like its dodo cousins.
Learn more: https://www.mauritian-wildlife.org/news/2023-11-22/partnership-between-mauritian-wildlife-foundation-and-colossal-biosciences
Colossal Biosciences and the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, a genetic engineering firm and conservation nonprofit, are working to resurrect the iconic dodo and restore its native habitat on Mauritius, an island that lies off Africa’s east coast.
Known for their expertise in avian rescue and ecological monitoring, the Foundation’s collaboration will ensure that any revived dodo population has a sustainable environment to thrive in. As Colossal’s Chief Animal Officer Matt James notes, successful de-extinction relies on the animals being rewilded in their natural habitats.
Leading this mission is Dr. Beth Shapiro, the scientist who first sequenced the dodo genome.
Her team is using DNA from the dodo's closest relative, the Nicobar pigeon, along with advanced genetic editing techniques involving surrogate chickens.
These efforts coincide with another project targeting the pink pigeon, a critically vulnerable bird species also native to Mauritius. By using gene-editing technology to boost its dwindling genetic diversity, Colossal hopes to prevent the pink pigeon from facing extinction like its dodo cousins.
Learn more: https://www.mauritian-wildlife.org/news/2023-11-22/partnership-between-mauritian-wildlife-foundation-and-colossal-biosciences
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