Colossal Biosciences unveils AI platform to identify dodo gene edits
Colossal Biosciences has announced GenoMorph, an AI platform designed to help identify gene edits that could recreate traits of extinct species. It is being used in the company’s effort to bring back the dodo, where scarce genetic material makes it difficult to determine which DNA changes shaped the bird’s distinctive features.
The company says it has just one dodo genome, compared with 100 for its woolly mammoth project, and built GenoMorph using developmental data and genetic information from more than 70 bird species. It has identified about 2,300 potential editing targets for dodo facial features, which still need laboratory testing. Colossal also reported a colony of 36 Nicobar pigeons, the dodo’s closest living relatives, and said it has created cells that develop into eggs and sperm.
- GenoMorph aims to find useful gene edits for dodo traits.
- Colossal says it has identified about 2,300 potential targets.
- Lab tests will show whether the predicted edits work.
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The dodo was a large flightless bird that lived on the island of Mauritius and became extinct in the 17th century. Its closest living relative is the Nicobar pigeon, but the two birds differ in many features, including the dodo’s distinctive face and body.
Colossal Biosciences is a biotechnology company researching whether gene editing could give living birds some traits of extinct species. Reconstructing the dodo’s genetic history is difficult because only a small amount of its DNA is available, so researchers compare it with DNA from related birds to identify possible changes.
The work involves altering cells and testing whether those changes affect how birds develop. Any proposed edits remain research targets until they are tested, and recreating selected traits would not by itself bring back the original dodo species.
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The case for
Supporters could argue that GenoMorph offers a more systematic way to study how genes shape traits when ancient DNA is scarce, while potentially advancing knowledge of bird development and conservation. They may see the dodo project as a useful test of tools that could also help protect endangered species, provided candidate edits are carefully tested and animal welfare is prioritised.
The case against
Sceptics could argue that predicting edits from comparisons across many bird species remains uncertain, so the targets may not reliably recreate dodo traits and could lead to unintended effects. They may also question the value of spending resources on reviving an extinct species when habitat protection and preventing current extinctions are urgent, and raise concerns about the welfare and ecological risks of any eventual release.
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Originally published by TechCrunch as “Colossal Biosciences announces new AI platform to help accelerate de-extinction efforts”.