Scientists criticise plans to 'resurrect' giant moa bird

The American biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences together with the Canterbury Museum, the Ngāi Tahu research centre and director Peter Jackson announced their intention to bring an endangered species back to life.

But experts call the project a utopia, writes The Conversation.

Molecular palaeontologist Nick Rawlence of the University of Otago, whose research underpins the analysis of the evolutionary history of the moa, is convinced:

"This is science fiction. Birds are much harder to clone than mammals."

He explains that breeding moa would require either giant eggs, which simply don't exist, or complex artificial counterparts.

The problem is complicated by the depth of evolutionary distance. The closest living relative of the moa is thought to be the tinamou flying bird of South America. However, their last common ancestor lived more than 60 million years ago. This means that to recreate the appearance and biology of moa would require reconstructing tens of millions of years of mutations.

In addition, moa were unique even among wingless birds: they completely lacked wings, unlike emus, kiwis or ostriches.

"Any genetic engineering would require tampering with the parts of the genome that control the development of wings. This could have unpredictable consequences," warns Rawlence.

The moral aspects raise just as many questions. Rawlence emphasises:

"In our consultations with Maori representatives - tangata whenua - there is no support for the idea of disintegration. The tribes want the DNA and bones of the moa to remain in New Zealand."

Scientists have expressed concern about the extent of the consultation by Colossal.

For example, many Ngāi Tahu tribal councils are opposed to the project, according to Rawlence.

The environmental context is also a major concern.

"Where are these birds going to live? - Rawlence asks. - Most of the natural habitat is gone."

For example, the east of the South Island used to be dominated by mosaics of scrub forests with kohai and lanceleaf trees, but such ecosystems do not exist today.

In addition, according to the scientist, any project to revive an extinct species requires the establishment of a population of at least 500 individuals - otherwise inbreeding and genetic degradation cannot be avoided. This would require huge resources, which could be diverted from programmes to protect living but endangered species.

Nevertheless, experts recognise that the genetic engineering technologies being developed by Colossal could prove useful. For example, they could help create immune defences in the endangered kakapo.

"If the community supports such an initiative - it could be really useful," Rowlens notes.

"Investing in the conservation of current biodiversity makes much more sense than bringing back moa for the sake of ecotourism," he concludes.