A Breakthrough in De-Extinction Technology
A biotech company has recently announced a significant development in its efforts to bring back extinct species. Colossal Biosciences revealed that it has successfully hatched live chicks in an artificial environment, marking a step forward in its de-extinction mission. The company reported that 26 baby chickens, ranging from a few days to several months old, were born from a 3D printed lattice structure that mimics an eggshell.
This innovation follows previous work by Colossal, where they genetically engineered living animals to resemble extinct species. Examples include mice with long hair like the woolly mammoth and wolf pups that resemble dire wolves. The company's CEO, Ben Lamm, emphasized that this artificial egg technology could one day be scaled up to genetically tweak living birds to resemble the New Zealand South Island giant moa. The moa's eggs are significantly larger than those of a chicken, making them difficult for modern birds to lay.
“We wanted to build something that nature has done a pretty good job of developing and make it better and scalable and even more efficient,” Lamm said.
However, the scientific community remains divided on the significance of this achievement. While some acknowledge the technological advancements, others argue that the process lacks essential components to be considered a true artificial egg. Evolutionary biologist Vincent Lynch from the University at Buffalo pointed out that while the technology might help create genetically modified birds, it does not equate to reviving the moa.
“They might be able to use this technology to help them make a genetically modified bird, but that’s just a genetically modified bird. It’s not a moa,” Lynch said.
How the Process Works
To hatch the chicks, Colossal scientists poured fertilized eggs into the artificial system and placed them in an incubator. They also added calcium, which is normally absorbed from the eggshell, and monitored the embryos' development and growth in real-time. Scientists note that Colossal has designed an artificial eggshell with a membrane that allows the right amount of oxygen to enter, similar to a real egg. However, other essential components of an egg, such as temporary organs that nourish and stabilize the growing chick, were not included.
“That’s not an artificial egg because you’ve poured in all the other parts that make it an egg. It’s an artificial eggshell,” Lynch explained.
In previous decades, researchers have used simpler technologies to create transparent eggshells that hatched chicks from plastic films or sacks. These methods have been beneficial for studying chicken development and obtaining insights applicable to other mammals and even humans.
“Producing a chick from an artificial vessel is not necessarily new,” said Nicola Hemmings, who studies bird reproductive biology at the University of Sheffield. Hemmings is not part of the Colossal team.
Challenges Ahead
There is still a considerable amount of work ahead before Colossal attempts a moa resurrection using this artificial egg system. Scientists first need to compare ancient DNA from well-preserved moa bones to the genomes of living bird species. Additionally, they require a larger eggshell.
“We didn’t want to wait till we were ready to birth a giant moa. We actually wanted to start working on the engineering challenges for surrogacy and birth now,” Lamm said.
Even if Colossal succeeds in creating a tall bird similar to the moa, some scientists are concerned about the post-resurrection implications, particularly regarding its survival in a modern environment that differs significantly from its historical habitat.
“The big challenge is, what environment is this animal going to live in?” said bioethicist Arthur Caplan with New York University's Grossman School of Medicine.
Ethical Considerations and Future Directions
Efforts at de-extinction may be more logical when applied to currently endangered species, where scientists could preserve sperm and egg cells from living members to attempt to increase their populations, according to Hemmings.
“My personal interests lie more in preserving what we’ve got than trying to bring back what is already gone,” Hemmings said.
As the field of de-extinction continues to evolve, the balance between scientific ambition and ethical responsibility will remain a critical discussion. The journey to resurrect lost creatures is complex, requiring not only technological innovation but also careful consideration of ecological and ethical implications.
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