An AI treasure map is pointing scientists toward the dodo's return

The dodo, the flightless bird wiped out on Mauritius in the 1600s, is a step closer to a comeback — on paper, at least. Dallas-based Colossal Biosciences says its new AI platform, GenoMorph, studied how beaks and skulls develop in more than 70 living bird species and narrowed hundreds of thousands of possible genetic changes down to a shortlist of about 2,300 most likely to explain the dodo's famous beak and face. The team has now filled in about 95% of the dodo genome and plans to edit those traits into cells of its closest living relative, the Nicobar pigeon. Its pigeon colony has grown to 36 birds, and the company is working with scientists and officials in Mauritius on restoring habitat and removing invasive predators — work that would help the island's living species either way.

SDG 15 · Life on land — Mechanism: tech innovation