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What “bringing back the dodo” means here
A literal resurrection would require recreating the original species. That is not what Colossal proposes. The company’s plan combines genomic information recovered from museum dodo material with biology from living birds, chiefly the Nicobar pigeon, which Colossal identifies as the dodo’s closest living relative. The Rodrigues solitaire is another extinct relative that can provide comparative genomic information.
Researchers would look for genetic differences associated with dodo traits, then introduce selected changes into living-bird cells. Any resulting animal would inherit much of its biology from a living relative, carry engineered edits, and develop in an environment that no longer matches the extinct bird’s world. It is therefore more accurate to call the goal a dodo-like proxy or genetic restoration than a recovered original dodo.
As evolutionary biologist Victoria Herridge told Scientific American, “Nothing will ever bring back a mammoth; nothing will ever bring back a dodo.” The distinction matters because genetic resemblance, species identity and ecological function are different tests.
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How Colossal’s proposed pipeline would work
- Build a dodo reference genome. Colossal says it is sequencing and assembling DNA from museum skull material. Its project page describes around 50X sequencing coverage, an undated company figure accessed in 2026. A sequence provides a computational reference; it is not a living genome inside an embryo.
- Compare genomes. The dodo sequence would be compared with Nicobar pigeon and other bird genomes to identify candidate differences that might influence anatomy, physiology or behavior. Choosing which differences matter is a computational-biology problem, not a simple list of “dodo genes.”
- Grow and edit primordial germ cells. Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the embryonic cells that become eggs or sperm. Colossal’s approach requires keeping pigeon PGCs alive in culture, making multiple edits, and retaining cells capable of contributing to a developing bird.
- Use surrogate birds. Edited germ cells would be transferred through surrogate birds. Colossal has described gene-edited chicken surrogates designed not to produce their own germ cells, so donor cells could occupy that reproductive role.
- Incubate, hatch and raise the birds. The final stages require reliable embryo development, artificial or biological incubation, healthy hatchlings, appropriate socialization and long-term husbandry. Only after those steps could anyone assess whether the animals express the intended traits or can be maintained outside a laboratory.
Nature Biotechnology has described de-extinction as requiring major advances across computational biology, cellular and genetic engineering, embryology and animal husbandry. A success in one discipline does not validate the whole chain.
What has actually been achieved
The reported work is best understood as a set of enabling technologies and biological resources. The table separates what has been reported from what each result does—and does not—show.
| Reported milestone | What it establishes | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Pigeon PGCs maintained in culture; a 2025 paper is listed by Colossal | Long-term handling of an important avian germ-cell type is possible under the reported conditions. | That edited cells will produce healthy, fertile dodo-like birds. |
| Gene-edited chicken surrogates designed not to make their own germ cells | A proposed route for donor germ cells to use a surrogate reproductive system. | That pigeon donor cells can complete development in those surrogates or transmit a complete set of intended edits. |
| Nicobar pigeon colony established | A living population is available for research and breeding work. | That the species can serve as a fully validated dodo surrogate. |
| Chromosome-level Nicobar pigeon genome reported in 2026 | A detailed reference resource for avian genomics and conservation. | That a dodo genome has been functionally reconstructed or tested in an animal. |
| Twenty-six chickens reportedly hatched using Colossal’s artificial-egg system in 2026 | A company-reported chicken incubation milestone. | Evidence that the system can hatch dodos, that it is efficient, or that the complete reproductive pipeline works. |
The artificial-egg announcement was covered by Scientific American without a peer-reviewed paper or public dataset at publication. The report did not provide the number of embryos placed into the system, how long they survived or a quantified hatch rate. Those missing denominators make it impossible to judge efficiency from the number 26 alone.
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Why a laboratory milestone is not a resurrected animal
Embryos must develop, not merely start
Avian reproduction involves coordinated germ-cell migration, egg formation, embryonic development, incubation and hatching. A culture system or surrogate that works for one stage may fail at another. Multiple genomic edits also create opportunities for unintended changes, developmental failure or reduced fertility.
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A hatchling must be healthy and fertile
Producing one live bird would still leave questions about survival, immune function, sex, fertility, behavior and welfare. A viable population requires enough healthy, genetically diverse animals to reproduce over generations, not a single technical success.
Traits are not controlled by one obvious switch
Body shape, metabolism, behavior and ecological interactions can involve many genes and developmental effects. Scientists may be able to identify sequence differences without knowing which combination recreates a historically dodo-like phenotype. The edited animal would also be shaped by its surrogate, diet, social environment and modern climate.
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Could a dodo-like bird live in today’s ecosystem?
Even a healthy proxy would face a conservation problem rather than simply a breeding problem. Mauritius and other islands have changed since the dodo disappeared: habitats, predators, competitors, diseases and human land use may differ. Experts quoted by Scientific American questioned whether an artificial incubation system could become efficient enough and whether a proxy would function in an altered ecosystem.
Captive breeding does not solve release. A reintroduction would require suitable habitat, disease safeguards, predator management, food availability, permits, monitoring and a welfare plan for every animal. It would also need evidence that releasing the proxy would not harm species already living there.
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What Colossal says about Mauritius and conservation
Colossal’s dodo project page says it intends to work with Mauritius on a foundation for de-extinction and rewilding. A later company update describes an advisory committee working on conservation and rewilding plans. These statements show an intended direction, not a completed agreement or approved release program.
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The sources reviewed do not establish a finalized release site, a government agreement, a completed ecological assessment or measured conservation benefits. Any claim that a future bird will be released in Mauritius should therefore be attributed to Colossal as a plan, not presented as an established outcome.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to judge future announcements
Readers can distinguish a genuine advance from a headline by asking which link in the chain has been demonstrated.
- Company announcement or independent evidence? Colossal’s project pages and updates describe its own claims and projections. Peer-reviewed methods, data and independent assessment provide stronger grounds for judging performance.
- Cell or embryo milestone? A cultured cell, edited surrogate or hatched chicken is an intermediate result. It is not evidence that a dodo-like bird has been produced.
- One animal or a population? Conservation requires repeatable production of healthy, fertile and genetically varied animals.
- Genetic similarity or ecological function? A bird can carry selected dodo-associated edits without filling the extinct species’ former ecological role.
- Technical feasibility or conservation value? The project must still justify habitat, welfare, disease, governance and opportunity costs alongside laboratory performance.
The conservation trade-off
Supporters argue that de-extinction research could improve reproductive technology and draw attention to biodiversity. Critics worry that dramatic extinct-animal projects can divert money and public focus from species that are alive and need habitat protection now. Associated Press reporting from 2023 captured that earlier debate, when Colossal’s dodo plan was still theoretical.
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Ecologist Stuart Pimm warned, “There’s a real hazard in saying that if we destroy nature, we can just put it back together again — because we can’t.” Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s chief science officer, has likewise acknowledged a hard limit: “it’s not possible to recreate a 100% identical copy of something that’s gone.” Those positions are not mutually exclusive: research may produce useful tools while failing to restore the extinct species itself.
What the five-to-seven-year timeline means
Colossal has described a five-to-seven-year path to seeing the bird return. That is a company projection, not an independently validated delivery schedule. “Seeing the bird return” is also less precise than demonstrating a healthy, fertile population capable of safe, self-sustaining conservation.
For now, the defensible conclusion is narrower: Colossal is building pieces of an avian genetic-restoration pipeline, including germ-cell culture, surrogate-bird research, genomic resources and artificial incubation. No reviewed source shows that a dodo-like bird has been born, and no finalized plan demonstrates that such an animal could be released or restore the dodo’s former ecological role.
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