The American company has raised $150 million to reproduce the dodo and the hairy elephant. Photo: File
Austin, Texas: A company has raised $150 million (Rs 15 crore) to revive the extinct dodo bird and the hairy mammoth through cloning.
A company called Clausal Biosciences has created a genetics department that will bring both experts back to the fore thanks to cutting-edge technology. Among them was a bird named dodo which was hunted and wiped out by humans. The last dodo was killed by humans on the island of Mauritius in 1681. Kosal Biosciences, however, has raised another $150 million, taking its existing investment to $225 million.
Dodo bones and stuffed birds still exist in the world and its complete genome has been read. Attempts will then be made to breed it in a nearby bird, including a ‘Nicobar Islands pigeon’. Company scientist Dr. Beth Shapiro says they have been researching the dodo for two decades.
In the first phase, the genetic differences between the Nicobar pigeon and the dodo will be explored. This will reveal the genes that made the dodo the dodo. Then perhaps the pigeon gene would be modified to bring it closer to the cells of the dodo. This would probably involve making eggs from cells and growing them inside another bird. These include common chickens and pigeons. However, even then it will not be possible to make a 100% copy of Dodo.
The dodo weighed between 10 and 15 kg and was up to one meter in length and was flightless.
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