‘De-extinction’ Startup Wants to Revive Antelope Killed Off by South African Colonists
Colossal Biosciences, a Dallas-based biotech company, has announced a new project to revive the bluebuck antelope, an extinct species once native to South Africa and driven to extinction by European colonists. The effort involves advanced genomic sequencing, stem cell technology, and reproductive innovations that the company says will also benefit conservation of endangered antelope species. While the bluebuck is the primary focus, the technologies developed aim to support broader ecosystem restoration and conservation efforts across Africa.
- ▪European colonists caused the extinction of South Africa's bluebuck antelope by the end of the 18th century.
- ▪Colossal Biosciences has reconstructed a 40-fold genome of the bluebuck and created induced pluripotent stem cells from roan antelope to aid the de-extinction effort.
- ▪The company has developed minimally invasive ovum pickup techniques for antelope species, successfully applied to roan antelope and scimitar-horned oryx.
- ▪The bluebuck de-extinction project began in 2024 and is part of Colossal’s broader initiative that includes reviving the woolly mammoth, dodo, Tasmanian tiger, and dire wolf.
- ▪Technologies developed through this project are intended to scale and support conservation for 29 endangered antelope species.
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European colonists drove South Africa’s bluebuck antelope to extinction by the end of the 18th century (although the buck’s larger and more hardy competitor, the roan antelope, had been chipping away at its turf for millennia). Historical accounts marvel at the long-lost antelope’s regal bluish-silver coat and its long curved horns.cnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({"playerId":"92b7b46b-43ed-4e0e-b21b-2c999302d9d7","settings":{"advertising":{"macros":{"AD_UNIT":"/23178111854/od.gizmodo.com/article","CHILD_UNIT":"article","POST_ID":"2000752925","POST_TYPE":"post","CHANNEL":"science","SECTION":"biology","SUBSECTION":"","CATEGORIES":"biology","TAGS":"colossal-biosciences,de-extinction,endangered-species,south-africa","NOP":"0"},"timeBeforeFirstAd":0}}}).render("cnx-player-main")}); Now—for the…
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