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Tue, January 28, 2025
Mon, January 27, 2025

The dodo bird is extinct. This scientist says she can bring it back.


Published on 2025-01-27 11:22:35 - MSN
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  • Yet in the not-so-distant past, Shapiro didn't see why the dodo needed to make a comeback. Like many skeptics of the idea of "de-extinction," she once thought there was no p

The article discusses the ambitious project led by Beth Shapiro, a paleogeneticist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who aims to resurrect the extinct dodo bird. Shapiro's approach involves using advanced genetic technologies to recreate the dodo, which has been extinct since the late 17th century due to human activities like hunting and habitat destruction. The process would not involve cloning but rather editing the genome of a closely related species, like the Nicobar pigeon, to express dodo traits. This de-extinction effort is part of a broader initiative by Colossal Biosciences, a company focused on bringing back extinct species, including the woolly mammoth and the Tasmanian tiger. The project faces numerous scientific, ethical, and ecological challenges, including the complexity of recreating an entire species' ecosystem and the moral implications of playing such a significant role in nature's course. However, Shapiro and her team are driven by the potential to learn more about genetics, evolution, and conservation through this pioneering work.

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[ https://www.msn.com/en-us/science/biology/the-dodo-bird-is-extinct-this-scientist-says-she-can-bring-it-back/ar-AA1xQi0b ]
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