A team of scientists want to bring back the dodo bird, an odd-looking flightless bird that lived until the late 17th century.
However, Shapiro said that perfecting these synthetic biology tools will have wider implications for bird conservation. The techniques could allow scientists to move specific genetic traits between bird species to help protect them as habitats shrink and the climate warms.
Mike McGrew, a senior lecturer and personal chair in avian reproductive technologies at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh, described the project as a "moon launch for synthetic biology." His work involves turning commercial egg-laying hens into surrogates for rare chicken breeds revived from frozen primordial germ cells.
Critics, however, say the vast sums involved could be better put to use protecting the 400 or so bird species, and many other animals and plants, that are listed as endangered. "Flight is very expensive. Why bother maintaining it if you don't need it? All the fruit and food is on the ground, and when you've become flightless, you can become big. That's what the dodo did, it just got bigger and bigger and bigger," Hume said.
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