Overview
- Colossal announced on Tuesday that its artificial‑egg platform produced 26 healthy chicks after embryos were transferred from fertilized hen eggs.
- The device pairs a 3D‑printed lattice with a bioengineered silicone semipermeable membrane that Colossal says permits passive gas exchange at normal air oxygen levels.
- In the company's workflow scientists remove embryos from fertilized eggs within about 24–48 hours after laying, transfer them into the artificial shell, and supplement calcium because the membrane does not supply shell minerals.
- External scientists welcomed the engineering step but warned this is not proof of de‑extinction since Colossal did not create embryos in vitro, has not published peer‑reviewed methods or data, and long‑term health and reproducibility remain unverified.
- Colossal plans scaling tests with larger donor eggs such as emu or ostrich and continued genetic work for extinct species, while ethicists and conservationists urge open data, habitat planning, and careful welfare review before any reintroduction is attempted.