A de-extinction company has hatched live chicks from an artificial eggshell [View all]

Source: Associated Press

A de-extinction company has hatched live chicks from an artificial eggshell

By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN
Updated 8:03 AM EDT, May 19, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — A biotech company that aims to resurrect lost creatures said Tuesday it has hatched live chicks in an artificial environment — a development that was met with mixed reviews from scientists and critics of its de-extinction mission.

Twenty-six baby chickens — ranging from a few days to several months old — were born from a 3D printed lattice structure that mimics an eggshell, according to Colossal Biosciences.

Colossal previously announced it had genetically engineered living animals to resemble extinct species, including mice with long hair like the woolly mammoth and wolf pups that take after dire wolves.

Colossal’s CEO Ben Lamm said the artificial egg technology could one day be scaled up to genetically tweak living birds to resemble New Zealand’s extinct South Island giant moa, whose eggs are 80 times the size of a chicken’s and would be difficult for any modern bird to lay.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/deextinction-colossal-giant-moa-artificial-egg-a1ad16c5fb00bf2559b7a9fcfbb95239