Biotech Company Funded By CIA Is Trying To Bring Back The Dodo Bird

A biotech company is going to try to give people what they've been clamoring for: the return of the dodo bird.

The last dodo bird kicked the bucket way back in the 17th century. They lived on the island of Mauritius off the coast of Africa and may or may not have been complete idiots. The jury is still out. While some would call their extinction an example of natural selection, others see it as a challenge.

Biotech company Colossal is one of those others.

They already have a plan in place for a way to bring a dodo bird to the modern world. That plan involves understanding the extinct bird's genome, tissue cultures, and using another species as a surrogate to lay an egg containing the first dodo bird in 350 years.

According to Popular Mechanics, they'll use the dodo bird's closest living relative, the Nicobar pigeon, and chickens to get the job done.

The company is partially funded by In-Q-Tel, a venture firm that is itself funded by the Central Intelligence Agency. Colossal is just one of many companies that are part of In-Q-Tel's portfolio.

Bringing back the wooly mammoth from extinction is high on Colossal's list of ways to play God. (Carmelite House, London, 1907)(Photo by The Print Collector/Getty Images)

Colossal Is Trying To Bring Back Mammoths And Thylacines Too

This isn't Colossal's foray into animal kingdom necromancy. The brainy folks on the books there have already started trying to bring back both the wooly mammoth and the thylacine.

What's a thylacine? Well, sir; its Latin name is Thylacinus cynocephalus which means "dog-headed pouched-dog" and that about sums it up.

"Dog-headed pouched dog?" Sounds about right.

These puppies used to cruise around Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea.

Why the CIA would want to bring animals back from the dead is anyone's guess. If only there were movies that explored the ethical questions and possible ramifications of bringing extinct animals back from extinction that we could look to for guidance...

Oh well. Dodo birds here we come!

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