Overview

• Colossal reported culturing pigeon primordial germ cells for the first time, calling it a pivotal step for the avian gene editing needed to produce dodo-like birds.
• The company has established a Nicobar pigeon breeding colony in Texas and plans to edit their germ cells, place them into germ-cell–free chickens, and breed successive generations to express dodo traits.
• Colossal disclosed a further $120 million in funding, bringing total capital raised to about $555 million and valuing the startup at just over $10 billion.
• Leaders cite a five- to seven-year path to a dodo-like bird, though the newly disclosed methods have not yet undergone peer review.
• Independent experts caution any outcome would be a proxy rather than a true dodo and flag ecological, welfare, and regulatory questions, while some see potential conservation uses such as restoring genetic diversity in endangered birds.