The flightless dodo bird of Mauritius went extinct in the late 17th century due to human activity. Colossal Biosciences recently announced a $150 million project to bring back the dodo using DNA from preserved specimens and its closest living relative
The ivory-billed woodpecker, thought to be extinct since the 1940s, remains a symbol of hope for de-extinction efforts. recently announced plans to search for any remaining individuals and potentially revive the species through genetic engineering
The Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, was a dog-like marsupial native to Australia that went extinct in 1936 due to human hunting. Researchers at the University of Melbourne are collaborating with Colossal Biosciences
The woolly mammoth, an iconic Ice Age species, went extinct around 4,000 years ago. Scientists at Colossal Biosciences are using CRISPR gene editing to splice mammoth DNA into Asian elephant genomes, aiming to create a cold-resistant “mammophant”
Once numbering in the billions across North America, passenger pigeons went extinct in 1914 due to overhunting. The non-profit Revive & Restore is working to genetically engineer band-tailed pigeons to resurrect this species
The quagga, an extinct subspecies of plains zebra, disappeared in the 1880s. The Quagga Project in South Africa is using selective breeding of plains zebras to recreate the quagga’s unique striping pattern.
The aurochs, the wild ancestor of modern cattle, went extinct in 1627. European scientists are using back-breeding techniques to recreate aurochs-like cattle, aiming to restore wild grazing ecosystems.