Colossal Biosciences has announced a breakthrough after successfully hatching 26 healthy chickens using an artificial egg system based on silicone membranes. The development is being viewed as a significant step toward future efforts to revive extinct species such as the giant moa and the dodo.

The system is built around a semi-permeable membrane that allows for gas exchange, maintains optimal humidity levels, and prevents microbial contamination. It also includes a transparent window that enables researchers to monitor embryo development throughout the incubation process.

Researchers say the technology could eventually be scaled up to produce larger artificial eggs suitable for birds of much greater size, including the extinct moa. However, experts caution that this achievement represents only one part of a far more complex scientific challenge, particularly the difficulty of performing precise genetic modifications in the earliest stages of avian embryo development.