Could this synthetic egg bring back extinct birds? Researchers urge caution

The artificial egg contains a lattice shell architecture that incorporates a silicone-based membrane. This artificial shell matches the oxygen transfer capacity of a natural eggshell. Credit: Colossal Biosciences The de-extinction company Colossal Biosciences says it has developed a key technology for bringing back extinct birds and rescuing endangered ones: an artificial egg. The device — a 3D-printed lattice shell that protects a transparent silicon membrane — has ‘hatched’ around two dozen chicken and quail. Colossal, based in Dallas, Texas, hopes to use the technology to resurrect the extinct South Island giant moa ( Dinornis robustus) , a 3-metre-tall New Zealand bird that laid eggs the length of a rugby ball. Scientists say that the artificial egg — which is detailed in a 19 May press release and accompanying video , but not in a paper or preprint — could represent a genuine advance on work by other researchers. In previous studies, chicks were hatched from artificial eggs made of materials such as plastic films and cups 1 . But researchers have many unanswered questions. “It could be really important, it could be fantabulous,” says Paul Mozdziak, a stem-cell biologist at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. “Without data, it’s really impossible to judge what the true impact is.” A newly hatched chick from Colossal Biosciences’ artificial egg project. …