Latest news with #PeterJackson
Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Science
- Otago Daily Times
Sights set on resurrection
It is a bold scenario worthy of a hollywood director. Imagine the camera rising to an extreme long shot, revealing a dramatic landscape dotted with large flightless birds. Genetic engineering firm Colossal Biosciences is offering a hint that one day this image will become less film fiction and more scientific fact. It recently announced plans to resurrect the extinct South Island giant moa in collaboration with the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre, film-maker Sir Peter Jackson, scientist Paul Scofield and the University of Canterbury. Standing up to 3.6m tall and weighing 230kg, the giant moa disappeared from Te Waipounamu about 600 years ago, hunted to extinction two centuries after Polynesian settlement. Colossal will work closely with the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre to integrate mātauranga Māori, traditional knowledge, in its approach, providing for indigenous leadership in scientific innovation. Ngāi Tahu Research Centre director Prof Mike Stevens said during the 14th and 15th centuries, moa provided meat for sustenance and bones and feathers for tools and decoration, especially in Te Waipounamu. "The loss of moa, through over-harvesting and habitat modification, was a salutary lesson as to the New Zealand archipelago's 'fragile plenty'." Ngāi Tahu was particularly excited by this project because of the extent to which it enabled Ngāi Tahu to exercise rangatiratanga (leadership) and tikanga (customs) and the potential to bring ecological and economic aspirations into a singular frame. Colossal chief science officer Beth Shapiro said birds were among the most endangered species in New Zealand and around the globe, but had the fewest biotechnological tools available to protect them. "Because of their unique reproductive system, for example, it is not possible to 'clone' birds in the way that Dolly the sheep was cloned, so a new approach is needed to pass edits in DNA to the next generations." As Colossal developed tools for intra-species surrogacy, captive management and re-wilding, each of these technologies would be extendable to other species. "We will create genomic resources for living species that improve our capacity to manage them and participate in ecosystem restoration projects that will benefit living species." Colossal gained worldwide media attention recently when it revealed what it described as the return of the dire wolf, an American predator that had been extinct for more than 10,000 years. Using ancient samples of dire wolf DNA and genetic engineering as well as domestic hounds as surrogate mothers, three dire wolves were birthed. To resurrect the giant moa, Colossal was evaluating two of the closest living relatives of moa as surrogate hosts, the tinamou and the emu, Dr Shapiro said. "This is a long-term project and partnership and we are hopeful that the first chicks will be born within a decade." Whether de-extinction is legally possible within the country's existing biotechnology and environmental laws is something that will require further investigation. As a new concept, as far as she was aware, no country had laws explicitly focused on de-extinct species, Dr Shapiro said. "Our goal is to work with our partners in Aotearoa New Zealand to explore the regulatory frameworks that would apply to our and other conservation work and to develop pathways for these tools to be used to introduce de-extinct species and augment existing conservation work."
New York Post
2 days ago
- Science
- New York Post
12-foot bird has been gone for 600 years — now scientists want to ‘de-extinct' it
The real big bird returns. A company that claims to have resurrected the dire wolf has unveiled plans to bring back the moa, a long-extinct bird that once towered over people. The company, Colossal Biosciences, claimed it had joined forces with acclaimed 'Lord Of The Rings' director Sir Peter Jackson to de-extinct the ancient avian, the largest species of which stood 12-feet tall and weighed more than 500 pounds, Time reported. This flightless bird reportedly inhabited New Zealand until getting hunted to extinction by Māori settlers around 600 years ago, Livescience reported. Coordinating the ambitious de-extinction campaign is the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre, between the main Māori tribe (iwi) on NZ's South Island and the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. 3 An upland moa skeleton. 'There's a lot of science still to be done – but we can start looking forward to the day when birds like the moa or the huia (an extinct NZ bird with a curved bill) are rescued from the darkness of extinction,' said Sir Peter Jackson. 'Even the journey will bring incredible insights about the history of this land and enrich discussions as to the potential nature of our future here.' Museum of New Zealand 'Some of those iconic species that feature in our tribal mythology, our storytelling, are very near and dear to us,' explained Ngāi Tahu archaeologist Kyle Davis, who is collaborating on the moa's second coming. 'Participation in scientific research, species management, and conservation has been a large part of our activities.' Jackson, an investor in Colossal who helped bring the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre into the fold, explained that the proposed de-extinction is part of efforts to ensure that 'some of the most critically endangered species in Aotearoa/New Zealand are protected for future generations.' Unfortunately, resurrecting the moa will be quite a bit more difficult than bringing his fantasy creatures to life on the big screen. Experts analogized the process to that of the dire wolf, a long-dead species of canid that scientists resurrected by harvesting DNA from fossil specimens and then filling in the genetic gap with a gray wolf genome — like how frog DNA was used to engineer dinosaurs in 'Jurassic Park.' Bringing back the moa is decidedly more challenging as the moa is far more removed from its closest living relatives, emus and a chicken-like bird called the tinamou, than the dire wolf is from the gray wolf. Whereas dire wolves only split from modern wolf-like canids — the group that includes gray wolves — around 5.7 million years ago, the common ancestor of the moa and tinamou lived 58 million years ago, while the moa and emu predecessor lived 65 million years ago. During their 'time apart,' the moa developed a lot of unique traits that are difficult to duplicate. 3 Colossal Biosciences is currently working to resurrect the woolly mammoth as well. Courtesy of Colossal To achieve this feat of genetic engineering, the team plans to aims to sequence and reconstruct the genomes of all nine extinct moa species, while also sequencing high-quality genomes of their aforementioned relatives. The team will then use precursors to sperm and egg cells to Frankenstein a 'surrogate bird' from living species and then genetically alter it to resemble a moa. They plan to introduce the edited calls into the embryonic tinamou or emu inside an egg, after which the cells will hopefully migrate to the embryo's gonads, changing them so that the females produce eggs and the males produce moa sperm. In theory, that hatchling will then grow up, mate and produce moa chicks. As of yet, the team is still in the process of selecting said surrogate, although the emu's size — they can grow up to 6 feet 2 inches tall — makes it a more suitable surrogate than the comparatively runty tinamou, per the researchers. 3 Colossal Biosciences 'brought back' dire wolves using a primordial stew with gray wolf DNA. Colossal Biosciences / Business Wire Unfortunately, the moa egg is also a lot bigger than an emu egg, so this could present another challenge if they were to use the latter as the incubation chamber in which to hatch the hybrid bird. 'A South Island giant moa egg will not fit inside an emu surrogate, so Colossal will have to develop artificial surrogate egg technology,' said Nic Rawlence, director of the Otago Palaeogenetics Lab at the University of Otago in New Zealand and a critic of the moa plan. Colossal's chief science officer, Beth Shapiro explained that they're exploring 'different strategies for artificial egg incubation, which will have application both for moa de-extinction and bird conservation work.' Of course, there are several criticisms of the project that were directed at prior resurrection campaigns as well. Critics of the dire wolf project claimed that their so-called dire wolf was still genetically a gray wolf with increased size and a white coat. Rawlence even believes that 'genetically engineering specific genes in an emu to match a moa could have dire developmental consequences.' Beth Shapiro told Live Science that animal welfare was a priority, explaining, 'We thoroughly evaluate health risks of any proposed edit before selecting them for our final list of edits.' Jackson believes the project has exciting potential when it comes to reviving lost species. 'There's a lot of science still to be done – but we can start looking forward to the day when birds like the moa or the huia (an extinct NZ bird with a curved bill) are rescued from the darkness of extinction,' he said. 'Even the journey will bring incredible insights about the history of this land and enrich discussions as to the potential nature of our future here.' The moa isn't the only animal Colossal plans to add to its menagerie of long-dead creatures. The biotech firm has also targeted the woolly mammoth for de-extinction — and is a step closer to its goal after engineering a critter called the woolly mouse.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Extinct giant bird being brought back to life
(NewsNation) — The group that resurrected the dire wolf species is looking to reestablish a giant bird, native to New Zealand, with the backing of legendary filmmaker Peter Jackson. The moa bird, which has been extinct for 600 years, could make a return to the world. The herbivore weighed 500 pounds and stood about 12 to 13 feet tall. The flightless bird was sacred to the Maori people, the native populace of New Zealand. According to their oral traditions, they were a largely docile bird. According to a study in Quaternary Science Reviews, they became extinct due to overhunting by humans. 'Peter Jackson was really excited about the work that we're doing. He knew we were working on the mammoth, the Tasmanian tiger, and then the dodo, and he was very upset that we were not working on the moa,' Ben Lamm, who founded The Colossal Foundation, told 'Elizabeth Vargas Reports.' Ghislaine Maxwell should testify before Congress: Dershowitz 'If we can ever bring back species that we as mankind had a role in their extinction, while also building technologies to help conservation, (we can) help to return something that's sacred, back to the Maori people, the indigenous people of New Zealand, all while kind of inspiring kids. It kind of checked all of the boxes,' he added. Lamm noted that Jackson 'offered to accelerate the efforts with funding.' The moa birds will be reintroduced into areas on the South Island of New Zealand allocated by the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre. Lamm added that the moa birds will have the capacity to reproduce with themselves thanks to engineered additional genetic diversity that allows previously extinct animal populations to reproduce. 'Our goal is to build sustainable populations with enough genetic diversity that they can thrive on their own.' The foundation 'doesn't have to make more for New Zealand, they can actually just build up their own flock over time,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Flutter deal with Native Americans in California may get Murdoch off reservation
For Flutter chief executive Peter Jackson , the Californian dream remains just that. Seven years after the US supreme court struck down a federal law banning sports gambling, 30 states, plus Washington DC and Puerto Rico, have legalised online betting on sports – driving the spectacular growth of FanDuel , in which Flutter moved to buy a controlling stake just days after the 2018 ruling. But after a series of straight quarters of more than 20 per cent handle growth – covering the total amount wagered by betters – in Flutter's sportsbook revenue in the US, it had slowed to 8 per cent in the first three months of this year as the pace of states legalising the activity slowed. Just one state is so far on track to allow online sports betting to go live in 2025: Missouri, which has an adult population of 4.7 million. READ MORE Questions remain about the path of betting reform in the three most populous states, California , Texas and Florida. California, which recently surpassed Japan to become the world's fourth-largest economy, with an estimated adult population of about 31 million, is the big one. It is also a state where FanDuel and smaller rival DraftKings made powerful enemies when they backed an initiative to legalise digital sports betting three years ago. An overwhelming majority of Californian voters rejected the plan in late 2022, after powerful Native American tribes, who have a near-monopoly on casino-style gambling, reportedly spent more than $200 million (€172 million) campaigning against the proposal. The gambling companies have since adopted a different tack, with FanDuel president Christian Genetski and DraftKings chief executive Jason Robins making an olive-branch appearance at the annual Western Indian Gaming Tradeshow and Convention in San Diego in late March. FanDuel has a 43 per cent share of the US market. 'If I reflect on 2022, It was a well-intentioned but uninformed and misguided attempt,' Genetski said in a panel discussion chaired by the head of the Californian Nations Indian Gaming Association. 'It was definitely a spectacular failure on our part. It wasn't the right plan or the right time. So, we looked in the mirror and said, 'It was a failure, what will we do?'' [ Up to 800,000 Betfair and Paddy Power customers hit by data breach Opens in new window ] Subsequent reports suggested that the tribes are looking for the lion's share of annual revenues from any future sports betting in the golden state. Investment bank Jefferies' analysts recently estimated the potential Californian gross online sports betting revenues at $4 billion – double that of New York, the current largest market. 'Even under a market structure with as low as 30 per cent revenue share to operators, California would still be a top three state and generate the same [gross revenues] as New Jersey,' it said. The slowdown in the US growth handle in recent quarters has been partly down to FanDuel and smaller peers spending less on promotional free bets, a dip in National Basketball Association viewership, and broader economic concerns influencing consumer betting habits. But the dearth of state launches is the main factor. Legislating to open up online sports betting in Texas and Florida – where governor Ron DeSantis struck a deal in 2021 to give the local Seminole tribe a monopoly on this activity – is even further behind California. To be sure, this hasn't got in the way of Flutter, which moved its main listing to New York in May 2024 , post a 50 per cent share surge over the past year, to give the group a market value of almost $54 billion. This has been helped by strong growth in FanDuel's igaming business, which has a 27 per cent US market share with digital casino games including blackjack and roulette. Still, this business accounts for only about 30 per cent of FanDuel's revenues. JP Morgan analysts reckon that FanDuel's net gaming revenue grew 19 per cent in the second quarter to $1.82 billion – driven by 38 per cent growth in igaming as sports betting picked up to 14 per cent. They see the international business – including Paddy Power and Betfair in Ireland and the UK – posting 3.5 per cent organic growth. The group's recent purchases of Italy's third-largest online gambling company Snaitech for $2.6 billion (completed in April) and Brazilian betting company NSX Group for $350 million cash (finalised in June) will have helped. [ Flutter loses out to rival in race to run Italy's main lotto franchise Opens in new window ] While Flutter shares dipped briefly in late May when it narrowly missed out in a race to operate Italy's main lottery to market incumbent International Game Technology's (IGT) bid of €2.23 billion for the nine-year gig, analysts have broadly welcomed the development amid a belief that IGT may have overpaid. IGT has since rebranded as Brightstar Lottery. The stock has also been underpinned by speculation that Flutter will end up joining the S&P 500 stock market index in New York, the world's most followed market benchmark by equity investors, before CRH, which also moved its main listing to the Big Apple in recent years. Analysts, too, have welcomed Flutter taking full ownership of FanDuel last week by buying out Boyd Gaming's 5 per cent stake in a deal that puts a value on the business of about $31 billion. The focus has now turned to the option that nonagenarian Rupert Murdoch's Fox Corporation has to buy an almost 19 per cent stake in FanDuel. The option runs to 2030. It would currently cost Fox $4.5 billion to trigger and is almost $1.4 billion in the money, based off the $31 billion valuation. Fox chief executive Lachlan Murdoch put Flutter on notice last autumn that he wants to trigger the stake purchase sooner rather than later – subject to Fox securing a necessary gaming licence. It could get awkward. Flutter is no longer in the circle of Fox and friends – after their high-profile battle a few years ago on exercise price of the option. Fox, meanwhile, would end up with an illiquid stake in FanDuel. And no control. A neater solution for everyone would be for Flutter to buy Fox out. But would the Murdochs settle along the lines of the valuation implied by the Boyd deal? Unlikely. Clarity on California, Texas and Florida will be key. That's not coming any time soon.
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Science
- Straits Times
Scientists launch effort to resurrect extinct giant flightless bird
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The South Island giant moa was the tallest bird which ever lived, growing up to 3.6m tall. SINGAPORE - At up to 3.6m tall, the South Island giant moa was the tallest bird that ever lived. It roamed New Zealand's South Island before becoming extinct around 600 years ago. Now, a team of scientists is trying to bring it back. This effort is led by Colossal Biosciences, a Texas-based biotech company, which on July 9 added the bird to the list of extinct animals it hopes to resurrect , by altering the genes of the giant moa's closest living relatives. Other animals on their list include the dodo, woolly mammoth and thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger. To resurrect the giant moa, Colossal is working with New Zealand's Ngāi Tahu Research Centre, which is housed within the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. The project is also backed by several high-profile investors, including Mr Peter Jackson, the New Zealand-born director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Mr Jackson has one of the largest private collections of moa bones, reported the Associated Press. Moas played an essential role in natural ecosystems, and for early ancestors of the indigenous Ngāi Tahu tribe in New Zealand. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 30% of aviation jobs could be redesigned due to AI, automation; $200m fund to support workers: CAAS Singapore HSA looking to get anti-vape cyber surveillance tool with AI capabilities Singapore Alleged Kpod peddler filmed trying to flee raid in Bishan charged with 6 offences Singapore NTU upholds zero grade for student who used AI in essay; panel found 14 false citations or data Singapore Jail for contraband cigarette syndicate member over conspiracy to give bribes to security officer Singapore Residents in South West District get help to improve employability, find career opportunities Life Kinokuniya opens third bookstore at Raffles City, weeks ahead of schedule Business DBS shares rally to a new record as STI clocks yet another high Professor Mike Stevens, the research centre's director, said in Colossal's press statement: 'During the 14th and 15th centuries, moa provided meat for sustenance, and bones and feathers for tools and decoration. 'And the loss of moa, through over-harvesting and habitat modification, was a salutary lesson as to the New Zealand archipelago's 'fragile plenty'.' New Zealand is a biodiversity hotspot due to its isolation from the rest of the world and natural history, with a high proportion of endemic species - or species found only in a single defined geographic location - Colossal added in a media statement. 'Colossal Biosciences has committed a large investment to New Zealand to build biotechnology within and protect its unique biological heritage, including flora and fauna found nowhere else on Earth,' it said. But many scientists are sceptical of the ethics behind such costly 'de-extinction' efforts, which sap funds that could otherwise be used to conserve currently endangered species. Setting out to revive extinct species may be 'intellectually interesting, but really should be a low priority,' Dr Scott MacDougall-Shackleton told the CNN. 'If we are concerned about island bird conservation there are hundreds of threatened and critically endangered species in New Zealand, Hawaii and other Pacific islands that need conservation resources more urgently,' added the co-founder and director of the Advanced Facility for Avian Research at Western University in Canada. Whether or not 'de-extinction' is even possible is also a contentious issue among members of the scientific community. In April 2025, Colossal made the news for announcing the birth of three pups of the dire wolf - an extinct canine predator - which they had birthed by partially altering the genome of its closest modern-day relative, the grey wolf. 'Is de-extinction possible? No, it is not possible. What you could potentially do - we'll see - is create a genetically modified organism that may contain some appearance traits that are linked to a previously extinct species based on what we think they were like,' Dr Tori Herridge, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Sheffield, told The Guardian.
