A Texas biotechnology company, Colossal Biosciences is moving forward with a groundbreaking plan to bring the extinct dodo bird back to life.
The dodo was a large flightless bird that disappeared 400 years ago.
As per multiple reports, the company successfully grew pigeon primordial germ cells which are the basic cells that develop into sperms and eggs, which it calls a "pivotal step" towards recreating the dodo.
Colossal scientists created a Texas colony of Nicobar pigeons, the closest living relatives of dodos to help develop the dodo's genome.
They also genetically altered chickens to act as surrogate parents, stopping the chickens from making their own reproductive cells so that when given pigeon germ cells, the chickens could lay eggs that hatch pigeons.
Meanwhile, Colossal received $120 million in new funding, raising its overall valuation to $10.3 billion.
Colossal is the first to create primordial germ cells for bird besides chickens and geese.
On the other hand, Colossal announced in April that its scientists successfully revived the long-extinct dire wolf and are working to bring back the woolly mammoth.
The company has also cloned four red wolf-coyote hybrids to help protect one of the world's most endangered wolf species.