Lord of the Rings director wants to resurrect extinct giant flightless bird
The 63-year-old believes it is possible to bring back the moa, at 10-12ft once the tallest bird on Earth, centuries after the creature was killed off by Maori hunters.
The moa had sturdy legs and a long neck, and lived on a diet of leaves, twigs and fruit. They used to inhabit a vast swathe of New Zealand from the coast to the mountains.
New Zealander Sir Peter has teamed up with Dallas-based Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences in an attempt to bring his country's lost giant back to life, almost Jurassic Park-like.
It is the company which earlier this year claimed to have 'de-extincted' the dire wolf, when it announced the birth of three pups.
Sir Peter, who is estimated to be worth £1.3 billion, has not only invested £11 million in the company, but he has made available his private collection of 400 moa bones.
Using the DNA from the bones and that of the nearest surviving relatives, such as the emu and the South American tinamou, Colossal believes it can genetically engineer a moa.
'The movies are my day job, and the moa are my fun thing I do,' Sir Peter said.
'There were probably 150,000 giant moa walking around,' he added.
'We don't want to release them into the wild and we don't want to put them into zoos. We want to be able to give the moa a natural environment as big as we possibly can'.
It is not just the moa and dire wolf on Colossal's agenda, Sir Peter added.
'The Colossal team is working diligently towards bringing back the woolly mammoth, the dodo and many other extinct animals – that hitherto only lived in our imagination,' he said.
'We're on the eve of de-extinction stepping out of the realm of speculative science fiction, into an awe-inspiring new reality.'
Other eyebrow-raising achievements claimed by Colossal include developing 'woolly mice' with traits of the woolly mammoth by using the genes of Asian elephants.
Experts voiced doubts that the moa could be brought back from extinction.
'It's not possible to de-extinct things,' Vincent Lynch, professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Buffalo, in the US, told The Telegraph.
'Technically, given enough time, I think they can probably do what they say that they're going to do, which is genetically engineer an emu to have some moa-like traits
'But that doesn't make it a moa – that makes it a transgenic emu,' he added.
'The genetic engineering part is challenging, I think that they would have to create a sort of artificial egg to grow it in. I don't know that that's been done before, so they would have to invent that.
'The genetic engineering approach that they're going to use has been done before, but not at this scale and not in an emu.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
24 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
TRNSMT revellers push through heatwave to welcome back music legends Biffy Clyro and enjoy secret set on day two
The temperature had peaked at 29C as punters soaked up the sun and brilliant sounds CLYROH MY GOSH TRNSMT revellers push through heatwave to welcome back music legends Biffy Clyro and enjoy secret set on day two LOCAL heroes Biffy Clyro moved Mountains tonight with a sensational performance that brought a scorching Day Two of TRNSMT to an epic end. The Scots rockers belted out a brilliant set as 50,000 revellers refused to turn down the heat after an afternoon of searing summer sunshine. Advertisement 4 Biffy Clyro moved Mountains tonight as they brought Day Two of TRNSMT to an epic end Credit: Michael Schofield 4 Pals Camilla Johnston, Ioan Taylor, Blythe Thorburn 18 and Milly MacDonald soak up the sun at TRNSMT Credit: Tom Farmer 4 Fontaines DC showed solidarity with Kneecap by starting Free Palestine chants during their set Credit: Getty 4 Danielle Roberts, 35, drew plenty of admirers for her silver outfit The Kilmarnock trio — Simon Neil and twins James and Ben Johnston — were making their third appearance at Scotland's top music festival after a 2017 debut and a 2020 return to Glasgow Green. But a five-year absence clearly made hearts grow fonder as the headliners were welcomed to the Main Stage with a massive roar. The temperature had peaked at 29°C (84.2F) as punters soaked up the sun and brilliant sounds. And Irish rockers Fontaines DC raised political tensions by taking to the stage to a song by their compatriots Kneecap — who'd been removed from the line-up over security concerns. Advertisement It followed controversy over their comments on Gaza and other subjects. It's been 30 years since Biffy Clyro formed but lead singer Simon, 45, showed no signs of slowing down as he put on an energetic display. And he greeted their sun-baked fans with: 'What a lovely day to see you all in Glasgow Del Sol.' Hits such as Bubbles, Many of Horror and Space led to massive singalongs as the crowd became the band's fourth member. Advertisement Biffy recently unleashed two new songs at Glasgow's SWG3 venue at a secret show under their former name Screwfish. And they treated TRNSMT to a taste of their first new music since album The Myth of Happily Ever After was released four years ago. How to survive TRNSMT 2025 Simon also lit up the massive arena at one point by swinging a lamp around his head. The show was lapped up by Post Office worker Laura Brant, 31, and her fiancé fireman Sam Grace, 40 — who told how they got engaged at a Biffy Clyro gig. Advertisement TOMORROW'S MUST SEE ACTS GRACIE ABRAMS MAIN STAGE @7.45PM IT was clear from the get go that Gracie would be one of the most popular acts this year. Fans couldn't say enough good things about the US singer after she supported Taylor Swift on her Eras tour. Now the song-writer and Grammy-award-winner will delight her fans with a main stage set. KYLE FALCONER KING TUT'S STAGE @2.20PM BEST known as the frontman of The View, Falconer is adapting to his newer role of solo performer. The Dundee rocker is enjoying a simpler life in Spain with his family, but there's no doubt fans will see hints of his former wild side on the King Tut's. SHED SEVEN KING TUT'S STAGE @8.20PM YOU can't go wrong with a bit of Britpop nostalgia. And this group are still going strong after 35 years and released two albums in 2024. With seven top 20 singles, six top 10 albums and fan-favorites like Going For Gold, Chasing Rainbows and Disco Down, fans old and young will enjoy getting to grips with such an experienced live act. Laura, from Bedale, North Yorkshire, told The Scottish Sun on Sunday: 'I had to make a special sign for the band. 'I don't think they noticed Sam popped the question at their gig. 'Hopefully they find out about it. And they'd be more than welcome as our wedding guests.' Danielle Roberts, 35, of Bishopton, Renfrewshire, drew plenty of admirers for her silver outfit. Advertisement She said: 'You have to dress to impress at TRNSMT. But the silver had to come off eventually because it was so warm.' Pal Suzanne Reddie, 42, from Greenock, added: 'Some of the outfits were incredible.' Camilla Johnson, Iona Taylor, Blythe Thorburn and Milly MacDonald, all 18, travelled from Selkirk and Melrose for The Kooks. But they stopped at a stall outside Glasgow Green to be fitted out with matching pink stetsons. Advertisement Milly said: 'They were good for the heat and for being able to see each other in the crowds.' Hollie Baker, 33, travelled from Leeds with Scarlet Mapanya and Georgie Fisher, both 16. AMY TAKEN ABACK AT SECRET SHOW AMY Macdonald shocked fans with a secret show at TRNSMT. The local hero, 37, appeared on the bill under the name Mrs Rock & Roll in the Hangout area for over-18s only. She told the crowd: 'Thanks so much. I actually can't hear myself think. For the first time ever I wasn't even able to try to sing because you guys were just singing for me.' The performance coincided with the release of her new album, Is This What You've Been Waiting For? She previously revealed the record — her sixth — was partly inspired by TRNSMT. Amy, from Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow, said: 'I was a bit nervous going out because the crowd were really young and I thought to myself, gosh, some of these kids wouldn't even have been born when these songs were coming out. They're not going to enjoy this. They're not going to know anything. 'I was so taken aback by how they just knew every word and they were just having the time of their life. I was so moved I went back and I wrote Can You Hear Me?' Hollie said: 'The festival is amazing. It's well worth the travel. We can't believe how nice the weather is. 'You could not ask for better conditions for TRNSMT.' Advertisement Eilidh Cook, Chloe Meechan, Martha McClean and Rachel Ross, all 16, travelled from Kilmarnock to see Fontaines DC. Chloe said: 'It was great. The weather is scorching but we're not complaining.' During their set, Fontaines DC showed solidarity with Kneecap by starting Free Palestine chants. They also hailed Glasgow as a 'home away from home'. Advertisement A huge message then appeared on the big screen stating: 'Israel is committing genocide. Use your voice.' The Irish band also displayed a Palestine flag during their set. Norwegian singer-songwriter Sigrid, 28, had earlier given the main stage Scandinavian sparkle. The pop star, who has worked with top acts like Bring Me the Horizon and Griff, got the party started with her best-known tracks such as Don't Feel Like Crying. Advertisement Irish lads Inhaler celebrated the success of their third album Open Wide — also their third consecutive record to top the charts. Two of their biggest fans were the first through the doors after travelling to Glasgow all the way from Montreal, Canada. Arianna Lafoley, 19, and pal Sam Rinone, 20, had only just landed in Scotland when they pitched up at 7am. Sam said: 'We got in the queue at 7.30am for Inhaler. I'm a mega fan. I've been to Dublin and Manchester to see them and was so excited when I heard they were playing TRNSMT.' Advertisement Arianna added: 'We were told Scotland would probably be rainy so we can't believe this sunshine. It's such a beautiful country.'
The Review Geek
2 hours ago
- The Review Geek
The Summer Hikaru Died – Season 1 Episode 2 Recap & Review
Suspicion The Summer Hikaru Died Episode 2 lands us on a country road where police cars zip by Hikaru and Yoshiki on their bikes. On another road, Tanaka is heading toward their town. At school, the kids are talking about the old woman who died and the amount of spooky stuff going on. One friend asks Yoshiki to walk him home through some scary bit of woods. He declines but Hikaru and some others want to join so now everyone is going. Even though it does look spooky, they arrive without incident. Elsewhere, Tanaka reaches his destination but he's not taking it seriously enough for the men who are worried about people dying. The old lady who died had been scared of something in the mountains ever since her daughter died. But her worry may have increased its attraction toward her. On the way back, Yoshiki sees something in the woods coming toward them. Hikaru notices it's following Yoshiki – that's not good. READ MORE: Anime reviews The men have moved to a safer spot at a shrine. Tanaka takes out a bag that Hikaru may have taken up the mountain the day he disappeared – they find a wooden head inside, meant to ward off evil spirits. But Tanaka thinks the evil thing has already come from the mountain to hide in the village. Returning from the woods, the girls run off, scared of something creepy but Yoshiki takes care of Hikaru, who's fallen and gotten a nosebleed. He'd managed to eat the thing trying to latch onto Yoshiki. Hikaru reminds him not to look at creepy things, just keep his eyes on him instead. To himself, Hikaru thinks he doesn't need to take Yoshiki, as he'll follow – and Yoshiki won't let anything steal him away. Flashback to a story Hikaru's dad told him about an agreement with an Unuki-sama to not attack their family. So, if Hikaru likes someone, he should marry her right away, as Unuki-sama takes people close to them instead. Back at school, Yoshiki is curious about how Hikaru 'ate' the thing in the woods. Hikaru unbuttons his shirt to show a slit down his chest, inviting Yoshiki to stick his hand inside. As he encourages him to reach further, Hikaru feels Yoshiki's warmth – it's like nothing he's ever felt before. But Yoshiki jumps away when something inside Hikaru pulls him. Heading home, Yoshiki can't stop thinking about what Hikaru's insides felt like. A woman approaches him, telling him he's getting too close to something dangerous; otherwise, he'll get 'mixed' with it. She'd been feeling a horrible wind coming from the mountain, but now it's gone, so she's been worried about where it landed. She warns Yoshiki against whatever is attaching itself to him and gives him her number if he wants to talk. That night, Yoshiki struggles to turn off his thoughts. The Episode Review Ok, so maybe the new Hikaru isn't so harmless or innocent. His snickering little laugh is a bit creepy, in fact. I wonder if Yoshiki can believe his words. Do we? He seems a lot more confident than in the previous episode, so maybe he's getting comfortable with 'being' Hikaru and confident that he's got Yoshiki where he wants him. To clarify, Unuki-sama (or Nonuki-sama) is a deity associated with the mountain. In ancient times, people were sacrificed to appease the gods. From the story his father told, it sounds like Hikaru's ancestors looked after the monster, even going so far as to make a deal with it to protect their family. The suspense of this storyline is spot on, tempting us to where no one wants to go. What do you think? Wishing they conveniently dropped the episodes in more bingeable pairs? Planning to watch the whole season of The Summer Hikaru Died? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes READ MORE: Anime reviews
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Guns N' Roses ex-manager reveals what the 'nightmare' rock 'n' roll band were REALLY like as he exposes antics
Alan Niven, the former manager of Guns N' Roses, is pulling back the curtain on his time with one of rock's most infamous bands — including how Slash's charm convinced him to sign on, why 'narcissist' Axl Rose abruptly fired him, and how rampant drug use impacted the group. The New Zealand-born mega-producer, songwriter, and manager — who's also worked with the likes of Great White, Dokken, Berlin, and Mötley Crüe — is detailing the wild ride in his upcoming book Sound N' Fury: Rock N' Roll Stories, out August 5. Speaking exclusively to ahead of the release, Niven recalled how he turned down the job three times before finally agreeing to manage the band—whose unhinged reputation was already well-established long before their 1987 debut Appetite for Destruction hit shelves. At the time, Guns N' Roses consisted of Axl on vocals, Slash on lead guitar, Izzy Stradlin on rhythm guitar, Duff McKagan on bass, and Steven Adler on drums. 'No one wanted Guns N' Roses. They'd been through at least two other management situations… They couldn't get rid of them fast enough. No one wanted to deal with them. They were a nightmare,' Niven said. 'So the question is, "How did I get sucked into that?"' he quipped, claiming it was Slash who ultimately drew him in. 'It was Slash because I found out, one, he was English, and two, he was not just articulate, he was eloquent, he was smart, he was incredibly charming. And I'm going, "This is not just a knucklehead drunk like I saw on the stage of the Troubadour where he was just a knucklehead, Sunset guitarist drunk. This is a really interesting guy. He's smart, very charming."' 'That was the beginning. That's where it all started to go wrong,' he joked. 'And of course then I got to know Izzy and simply put, Izzy Stradlin… for me… personified rock and roll.' Niven said he only began to understand Slash and Izzy during their first truly bizarre meeting — the moment he reluctantly agreed to try and bring some order to the chaos surrounding Guns N' Roses. 'I turn up for a band meeting and I park my bike outside and there's this broken toilet by the front door and I go, "That's interesting symbolism." Most people put a big old pots of beautiful flowers, but they've got a broken toilet by the front door. That's a different message.' Inside, the eccentricity continued, per Niven. 'The door opens and out wanders this quite well-known stripper and she smiles and walks past. I go in and there's only two people there at the meeting — Slash and Izzy… And then there was one, because Izzy nodded out. He's sitting at the table and literally he just slowly goes like this,' Niven said, mimicking someone passing out face-first. 'So that just leaves me and Slash, and Slash says, 'Let me show you something in the bedroom.' Oh, that's an interesting invitation. I go in and I freeze 'cause there's this enormous snake in there and I hate snakes.' Then came the kicker. 'He goes, 'Watch this.' And he takes a perfect beautiful little white bunny and feeds it to this legless monster.' Even with their outrageous antics, it was clear to Niven early on that the band was becoming a sensation. 'You're driving down to Electric Ladyland Studios one afternoon and you see that there are some kids in leather jackets running after the car because Slash is sitting next to me,' he recalled, describing one of Slash's first brushes with fame. 'And we pull around on Eighth Street, I dive out of the car, get the front door of the studio open and go 'Curly, get your ass in here!' And he leaps from the car and zips in, and we close the door and look at each other and go, 'Whoa, that's different. Things have changed, haven't they?'' He added, 'Because the one thing about fame is everybody knows you're famous before you do.' Still, not every band member handled fame the same way, according to Niven. 'It didn't change Axel one bit. It amplified him. He was always that way. He's a narcissist,' Niven said. 'And I think if you go and look at the employment forms for 'Front Man in Band,' the first box that you have to tick is, 'Are you a narcissist?' Tick. Okay. Now you can answer the rest of the questions.' The weight of managing the band's meteoric rise hit Niven almost immediately. 'My sense of lighthearted joy of what I did evaporated in September of 1986 when I signed a contract with five individuals collectively known as Guns and Roses,' he joked. 'From that point on, we had stress, we had pressure every day.' That included alleged pressure from Geffen Records co-founder David Geffen. 'David Geffen getting right in your face. I mean, this close,' Niven said, holding a hand to his face. ''When am I going to get my record?'' Niven recalled him asking. ''When it's done, David!' You had to give as good as you got from him.' Regarding the band's well-known struggles with addiction, Niven offered a deeper perspective on which member was most affected. 'I had this perception that in most bands, all those who were band members usually came from dysfunctional childhoods and families and a part of the motivation of forming a band was not just to make noise, not just to get laid, but to create your perfect family that substitutes that,' he said. 'So there's that aspect of it in that everybody who comes into the band brings familial dysfunction with them. Now, in terms of how does that relate to recreational drugs use or addiction? I believe people from dysfunctional circumstance are prone to addiction.' He continued, 'Now, with Axel, his sense of dysfunction… and I'm not talking outta school here, I mean, he's talked about this. He had a rotten childhood. I'm aware of some of the rottenness of his childhood, and he's had to deal with that. So that absorbed Axel, as he was not one really for getting f***** up and out of it.' 'Now Slash, bless his heart, he had an appetite for anything.' As for Izzy, Niven said he was 'incredibly street smart and cool' — and once confessed that he had sold drugs to Aerosmith frontmen Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. 'When we were going out with Aerosmith, Izzy sidled up to me in the office one day and he said, 'Now, I think we're gonna have a bit of a problem.' And I said, 'Oh, why?' He said, 'Well, I should tell you this, but I used to deal for Joe and Steven. I was their dealer once.'' 'I turned around to Izzy and I said, 'If you don't mention it, I'm sure as hell they won't mention it.' Because they were in super rehab mode. So everybody was on the down low.' Niven insisted addiction wasn't what ultimately wrecked the band — it was ego. 'It became about power. It became about control,' he said. As for the end of his relationship with Guns N' Roses in 1991, Niven said it came without warning. 'There was no breaking point except for a phone call from Axl,' he recalled. 'I was on the East Coast, he was on the West Coast. I was gig at Meadowlands. There was a phone call in the production studio, 'Axl's on the phone for you.' Axel says, 'I can't work with you anymore.' 'Okay, Ax, I'll be back in a couple of days. Let's go have dinner, talk about it, and if you still feel the same way, then we'll deal with what we have to deal with.'' 'I never heard from him again. He did not have the courage, the grace, the appreciation to even sit down and say, this is why.' Twelve weeks later, Izzy also left the band. 'I get a phone call. I'm in Switzerland at a gig in Switzerland, and I go get a phone from Izzy and he goes, 'I'm out. I can't deal with this anymore.'' 'And I said, 'Well, you better tell me about it.' And he told me about it. And I said, 'Well, what have you got left on the calendar?' And he said, 'Well, you've got Wembley left.' I said, 'Well, you are playing Wembley. You cannot not turn up for Wembley.'' Izzy indeed played Wembley in August 1991 with the original lineup, sans Adler, who had already been fired in 1990 due to his drug use and was replaced by Matt Sorum. By 1997, lead guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan had also departed, leaving Axl as the sole original member. The band's lineup continued to shift throughout the 2000s, culminating in the long-delayed Chinese Democracy album in 2008 with an entirely different cast. In a shocking turn, Slash and Duff officially rejoined in 2016 for the Not in This Lifetime... reunion tour, marking the first time the trio had shared a stage since 1993. The band's present-day roster includes Rose, Slash, McKagan, Richard Fortus on guitar, Isaac Carpenter on drums, and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese. Although his relationship with Axl remains fractured, Niven said he still cares deeply for Slash, even though they lost touch after Slash ended his feud with Axl. 'I considered Slash a friend for life until he reunited with Axel,' he said. But Niven believes they'll reconnect eventually. 'I didn't hear from Slash from '91 to '98. I didn't hear for seven years, and then he called me up and we spent some time together. And the cliché is there are certain people in your life that you can be separate from them for a long time, but the minute you're back together, it's as if it was just yesterday.' 'He's one of those people in my life. I may not see him for two or three years. I know I'll be in a groove with him when I do see him again.' Looking back, Niven admitted that walking away from Guns N' Roses may have been for the best—despite the years of toil and dedication he poured into the band. Under his leadership, Appetite for Destruction became a landmark release and the best-selling debut rock album of all time, launching the band into global superstardom. His role in shaping their legacy is indisputable. 'I don't think I've ever said this to anybody else before, but in some ways I'm really glad that I got outta GNR when I did,' he said. 'Because sometimes I have the honesty to sit in a tub and think, 'What kind of an ass*** do you think you would've been if you'd been multimillions rich?' 'What makes you a character that you can live with? What gives you a persona that you can live with when you are going through the tough times. 'So as I can live with myself, I can look at myself in the mirror.' Alan Niven's Sound N' Fury: Rock N' Roll Stories hits shelves August 5.
