Colossal Biosciences plans bluebuck resurrection using gene editing
Updated
Updated · CNN · Apr 30
Colossal Biosciences plans bluebuck resurrection using gene editing
11 articles · Updated · CNN · Apr 30
The Dallas company said work began in 2024, using DNA from a Swedish Museum specimen and roan antelope as both cellular and pregnancy surrogates for a possible birth within years.
Colossal says it has achieved world-first roan antelope egg collection and induced pluripotent stem cells, breakthroughs it argues could aid endangered antelopes including the critically endangered hirola.
Experts called the project scientifically significant but questioned its conservation value, cost and reintroduction prospects, noting habitat loss and arguing resources may be better spent preventing living antelope species from disappearing.
Can a lab-grown bluebuck truly restore a lost ecosystem, or is it just a scientific spectacle?
Is reviving extinct species a moral duty, or a costly distraction from today's conservation crises?