Colossal Biosciences' Next Big Feat: Bringing Back 12-Foot Moa
Known as the moa, this giant flightless bird once dotted the landscape of the South Island of the country today known as New Zealand. These birds were not just big, they were huge, 12 feet tall and weighing 500 pounds.
Earlier this year, The Dallas Express reported that Colossal Biosciences became the state's first company to hit a valuation exceeding $10 billion.
And for good reason.
Colossal has shown promise in its almost science fiction-like aspirations. In early April, the company unveiled a pack of dire wolf pups, a once-extinct species they successfully brought back to life.
Their success even earned them a spot on the coveted 'TIME 100 Most Influential Companies' list.
The latest initiative will see the company's new subsidiary, Colossal Labs New Zealand, collaborate with the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre at the University of Canterbury. The partnership was brought together by none other than New Zealand filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson, director, writer, and producer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
'The gigantic moa were a cornerstone of Aotearoa/New Zealand ecosystems. Colossal Biosciences and the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre are providing New Zealand conservationists with an unprecedented opportunity to recreate lost taonga (treasured) moa species,' said collaborating scientist Paul Scofield, Senior Curator Natural History at Canterbury Museum, and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Earth and Environment at the University of Canterbury, per a July 9 press release.
Incredibly, the moa has only been extinct for around 600 years, far less than the 4,000 years that have passed since the woolly mammoth walked the earth, another species Colossal has focused on resurrecting.
Colossal Biosciences CEO and co-founder Ben Lamm expressed his enthusiasm for the company's latest project.
'This partnership represents a new model where indigenous leadership guides scientific endeavors… There is so much knowledge that will be unlocked and shared on the journey to bring back the iconic moa,' he said.
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Dallas-based Colossal Biosciences is at it again, this time attempting to resurrect a giant that once lived alongside humans. Known as the moa, this giant flightless bird once dotted the landscape of the South Island of the country today known as New Zealand. These birds were not just big, they were huge, 12 feet tall and weighing 500 pounds. Earlier this year, The Dallas Express reported that Colossal Biosciences became the state's first company to hit a valuation exceeding $10 billion. And for good reason. Colossal has shown promise in its almost science fiction-like aspirations. In early April, the company unveiled a pack of dire wolf pups, a once-extinct species they successfully brought back to life. Their success even earned them a spot on the coveted 'TIME 100 Most Influential Companies' list. The latest initiative will see the company's new subsidiary, Colossal Labs New Zealand, collaborate with the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre at the University of Canterbury. The partnership was brought together by none other than New Zealand filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson, director, writer, and producer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. 'The gigantic moa were a cornerstone of Aotearoa/New Zealand ecosystems. Colossal Biosciences and the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre are providing New Zealand conservationists with an unprecedented opportunity to recreate lost taonga (treasured) moa species,' said collaborating scientist Paul Scofield, Senior Curator Natural History at Canterbury Museum, and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Earth and Environment at the University of Canterbury, per a July 9 press release. Incredibly, the moa has only been extinct for around 600 years, far less than the 4,000 years that have passed since the woolly mammoth walked the earth, another species Colossal has focused on resurrecting. Colossal Biosciences CEO and co-founder Ben Lamm expressed his enthusiasm for the company's latest project. 'This partnership represents a new model where indigenous leadership guides scientific endeavors… There is so much knowledge that will be unlocked and shared on the journey to bring back the iconic moa,' he said.
