A giant, flightless bird that roamed New Zealand before going extinct about 600 years ago is the next species on a controversial list of “de-extinction” targets from the biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences.
Colossal announced on Tuesday (July 8) that its scientists and local Indigenous partners will “bring back” the South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus) through genetic engineering within the next 10 years. D. robustus stood up to 12 feet (3.6 meters) tall and was the largest of nine known species of moa, all of which are thought to have gone extinct due to hunting by humans.
“We’re bringing back avian dinosaurs,” the company said in a post on Instagram.
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