Colossal Biosciences shortlists about 2,300 dodo beak targets with its dodo genome 95% filled
Colossal Biosciences says its GenoMorph AI shortlisted about 2,300 candidate targets for the dodo's beak and that its dodo genome is 95% filled. The company announced no timeframe for hatching a dodo, and the shortlist is still being validated in the lab.
The Investor · Invest desk
Shapiro says GenoMorph gave a shortlist of about 2,300 candidates linked to beak size and shape. The field Lamm described, 'hundreds of thousands', is taken as at least 200,000. GenoMorph studies more than 70 living bird species.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates linked to beak size and shape, about | 2,300 candidates | 2 | |
| Field Lamm described, at least | 200,000 field size | Lamm's 'hundreds of thousands', read low | 14 |
| Living bird species studied, over | 70 species | 1 |
What happened
- GenoMorph works by studying how skulls and beaks develop across more than 70 living bird species and learning which genetic switches control their shape, according to chief science officer Beth Shapiro.
- Colossal plans to gene-edit dodo traits into cells of the Nicobar pigeon, the dodo's closest living relative, which unlike the dodo can fly.
- The company has expanded its Nicobar pigeon colony in Texas to 36 birds after successful breeding among established pairs.
- Colossal also reported an advance it expects to cut the time it takes to check whether a gene edit yields the intended trait.
Why it matters
- Who has to decide decision Lab validation decides which of the 2,300 targets earn an edit in a pigeon, so any hatch date offered before that result would be a guess.
- What it limits constraint Release is gated by Mauritius: no sites will be chosen until ecological work and community consultation are finalized, and the plan involves the Mauritian government and conservation groups.
- What doesn't add up contradiction Lamm told Reuters that bringing the dodo back "shows extinction doesn't have to be permanent", while the same account has him listing three hurdles still ahead.
CEO Ben Lamm described GenoMorph as "narrowing hundreds of thousands of possible genetic changes into the targets most likely to explain its iconic beak and facial structure" [5]. Chief science officer Beth Shapiro put the output at "about 2,300 candidates linked to beak size and shape" [2]. If "hundreds of thousands" means at least 200,000, the shortlist keeps at most about 1.2% of the field [14]. That is a large cut in what a lab has to test. It was made without a population to compare against. Lamm said scientists "only have one complete dodo genome", and that makes it "difficult to distinguish the genetic differences that made the dodo unique from ordinary genetic variation" [6].
The genome is filled to 95%, and the company says it is in the final stages of analyzing it [7]. That leaves 5% unfilled [15]. A fully complete genome is not available to anyone, since the report notes that ancient DNA is always broken into small pieces and no ancient genome is perfectly complete, the dodo's included [8].
Lamm listed what is left, which he called "the big hurdles ahead." They are "proving which genetic changes really matter, making many of those edits in a bird and passing them to the next generation, and preparing a safe home for dodos on Mauritius," he said [9]. In our reading, the faster edit-testing advance the company described reaches only the first of those three [16].
We think this is progress in the lab. The report includes no financing or revenue figures, so nothing in it can be priced. The case against that view is Colossal's own record. The company said last year that it had genetically engineered the dire wolf by editing gray wolf genes to add dire wolf traits [11]. So it says it has gone from edits to animals before. Quicker edit testing could shorten the interval again.
Two things would change our view. One is a dated hatching window, which the company did not offer [10]. The other is a published count of how many of the 2,300 candidates survive validation.
What to watch
- Whether Colossal reports how many of the roughly 2,300 beak candidates survive lab validation.
- Any dated window for hatching a dodo; none was announced.
- Whether Mauritius release sites are named once the ecological work and community consultation are finalized.
Information, not investment advice. This story is general information about companies and markets, drawn from cited reporting. It is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security; check the cited sources before acting.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence35
- Adoption
- Not scored
- Hype gap+30
- Incentives60
- Confidence50
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
According to Colossal chief science officer Beth Shapiro, GenoMorph studies how skulls and beaks develop across more than 70 living bird species and learns which genetic switches control their shape.
- [2]
Shapiro said: "It gave us a shortlist of about 2,300 candidates linked to beak size and shape. These targets are now being validated in the lab."
- [3]
Colossal plans to perform gene-editing to bring dodo traits into the cells of its closest living relative, the Nicobar pigeon, which, unlike the dodo, can fly.
- [4]
Colossal said it has expanded its colony of Nicobar pigeons in Texas to 36 birds following successful breeding among established pairs.
- [5]
Lamm said GenoMorph acts as a 'treasure map' for the dodo genome, "narrowing hundreds of thousands of possible genetic changes into the targets most likely to explain its iconic beak and facial structure."
- [6]
Lamm said: "The challenge was scientists only have one complete dodo genome, making it difficult to distinguish the genetic differences that made the dodo unique from ordinary genetic variation."
- [7]
Colossal said it is in the final stages of its analysis of the dodo genome, now filled to 95 per cent.
- [8]
Ancient DNA is always broken into small pieces, so no ancient genome is perfectly complete, including that of the dodo.
- [9]
Lamm said: "The big hurdles ahead are proving which genetic changes really matter, making many of those edits in a bird and passing them to the next generation, and preparing a safe home for dodos on Mauritius."
- [10]
The company did not announce a timeframe for hatching a dodo.
- [11]
Last year, Colossal said it had genetically engineered the dire wolf by editing the genes of the gray wolf, the extinct Ice Age predator's closest living relative, to add dire wolf traits.
- [12]
Lamm said no release sites will be chosen until the ecological work and community consultation are finalized, and that the company is working with Mauritian scientists, conservation groups and the Mauritius government on what bringing the dodo back might look like.
- [13]
Lamm told Reuters that bringing the dodo back "shows extinction doesn't have to be permanent."
- [14]
2,300 candidates are at most about 1.2% of the field Lamm described, taking 'hundreds of thousands' as at least 200,000.
- [15]
The dodo genome has 5% still unfilled.
- [16]
Colossal said it has made an advance that should shorten the time needed to test whether a genetic edit produces the desired trait.
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Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- channelnewsasia.comUS company announces progress toward resurrecting the extinct dodo
1 article · October 14, 2026
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