Inching Toward De-Extinction: Can CRISPR Resurrect Passenger Pigeons?

D-brief
By John Wenz
Sep 10, 2018 10:30 PMMay 21, 2019 6:04 PM
Scientists are trying to "de-extinct" the passenger pigeon by modifying the genes of more common pigeons. These birds have been altered so their offspring will be easier to edit with CRISPR. (Credit: Ben Novak)
Scientists are trying to "de-extinct" the passenger pigeon by modifying the genes of more common pigeons. These birds have been altered so their offspring will be easier to edit with CRISPR. (Credit: Ben Novak)

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Ben Novak’s pigeons aren’t much to look at. Cosmetically, they’re not too different from the scavengers you’d see on any city street.

But dive down to the cellular level, and you’ll find something very unusual: they’ve been bred for easier DNA editing. These birds are a step on the way to bringing back an extinct species. 

Novak, lead scientist at Revive & Restore, a California-based group that aims to help endangered and even extinct species through what they call “genetic rescue.” 

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