Researchers in New Zealand plan to revive the extinct Moa bird with assistance from Colossal Biosciences and filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson. The Moa went extinct in the 15th century due to hunting by early Polynesian settlers and predation from introduced rats. Colossal Biosciences is sequencing and rebuilding the genomes for all nine moa species from subfossil deposits. The Moa holds cultural significance for New Zealand and features prominently in Māori oral tradition, capturing the imagination of many including filmmaker Jackson.
Colossal Biosciences has created a 'woolly' mouse by using genetic information from woolly mammoths, hoping to one day re-create the Woolly Mammoth.
The Moa, especially the Giant Moa that stood over three meters tall, was one of the biggest birds to walk the Earth, and it remains significant in New Zealand culture.
Colossal has started work to sequence and rebuild the genomes for all nine moa species, using material gathered from caves with significant moa subfossil deposits.
Sir Peter Jackson remarked on the excitement of having the biggest bird in the world, highlighting how it contributes to New Zealand's cultural identity.
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