The dire wolf was only the beginning: scientists are working to revive this famous extinct creature

It was a bird that couldn’t fly. It grew to around two and a half feet tall. It lived on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean until it went extinct over 300 years ago. Oh, and it still gets used in a popular phrase to mean something is really, really dead.

That’s right, I’m talking about the famed dodo... and scientists want to bring it back into our lives.

How can dodos be brought back?

The idea – brought to us by Colossal Biosciences, a ‘de-extinction’ company based in Texas – is to inject primordial germ cells from the closest living relative of the dodo into gene-edited chickens. Those birds will act as a surrogate. Over time, following some clever gene edits, this could see them breed dodos of the size and shape we’ve read about.

The recent flurry of headlines about this is due to the company announcing a major breakthrough in their efforts to grow the required cells from Nicobar pigeons. Chief executive Ben Lamm stated that rather than being decades away, it’s now more like five-seven years before this could be a reality.

Where will the 21st century dodos live?

The plan is to put them back where they once roamed, in the forests of Mauritius. “Our goal is to make enough dodos with enough genetic diversity engineered into them that we can put them back into the wild where they can truly thrive,” Lamm explained. “So we’re not looking to make two dodos, we’re looking to make thousands.”

Yes, he said “thousands,” and Colossal is working to find safe zones on the island in conjunction with wildlife groups.

It’s very possible that this company, and the process of de-extinction is familiar to you. It wasn’t long ago we were reporting on the idea of getting back the dire wolf (think Game of Thrones) thanks to them. The ethics of reviving lost species are, and will continue to be debated, but the science isn’t slowing down, especially with AI accelerating advancements.

If Colossal succeeds, the old saying ‘as dead as a dodo’ may need an ironic update.

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