Peter Jackson Backs Long Shot De-Extinction Plan, Starring New Zealand's Lost Moa (apnews.com) 50
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Associated Press: Filmmaker Peter Jackson owns one of the largest private collections of bones of an extinct New Zealand bird called the moa. His fascination with the flightless ostrich-like bird has led to an unusual partnership with a biotech company known for its grand and controversial plans to bring back lost species. On Tuesday, Colossal Biosciences announced an effort to genetically engineer living birds to resemble the extinct South Island giant moa -- which once stood 12 feet (3.6 meters) tall -- with $15 million in funding from Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh. The collaboration also includes the New Zealand-based Ngai Tahu Research Centre. "The movies are my day job, and the moa are my fun thing I do," said Jackson. "Every New Zealand schoolchild has a fascination with the moa."
The moa had roamed New Zealand for 4,000 years until they became extinct around 600 years ago, mainly because of overhunting. A large skeleton brought to England in the 19th century, now on display at the Yorkshire Museum, prompted international interest in the long-necked bird. Unlike Colossal's work with dire wolves, the moa project is in very early stages. It started with a phone call about two years ago after Jackson heard about the company's efforts to "de-extinct" -- or create genetically similar animals to -- species like the woolly mammoth and the dire wolf. Then Jackson put Colossal in touch with experts he'd met through his own moa bone-collecting. At that point, he'd amassed between 300 and 400 bones, he said.
In New Zealand, it's legal to buy and sell moa bones found on private lands, but not on public conservation areas -- nor to export them. The first stage of the moa project will be to identify well-preserved bones from which it may be possible to extract DNA, said Colossal's chief scientist Beth Shapiro. Those DNA sequences will be compared to genomes of living bird species, including the ground-dwelling tinamou and emu, "to figure out what it is that made the moa unique compared to other birds," she said. [...] The direction of the project will be shaped by Mori scholars at the University of Canterbury's Ngi Tahu Research Centre. Ngi Tahu archaeologist Kyle Davis, an expert in moa bones, said the work has "really reinvigorated the interest in examining our own traditions and mythology."
The moa had roamed New Zealand for 4,000 years until they became extinct around 600 years ago, mainly because of overhunting. A large skeleton brought to England in the 19th century, now on display at the Yorkshire Museum, prompted international interest in the long-necked bird. Unlike Colossal's work with dire wolves, the moa project is in very early stages. It started with a phone call about two years ago after Jackson heard about the company's efforts to "de-extinct" -- or create genetically similar animals to -- species like the woolly mammoth and the dire wolf. Then Jackson put Colossal in touch with experts he'd met through his own moa bone-collecting. At that point, he'd amassed between 300 and 400 bones, he said.
In New Zealand, it's legal to buy and sell moa bones found on private lands, but not on public conservation areas -- nor to export them. The first stage of the moa project will be to identify well-preserved bones from which it may be possible to extract DNA, said Colossal's chief scientist Beth Shapiro. Those DNA sequences will be compared to genomes of living bird species, including the ground-dwelling tinamou and emu, "to figure out what it is that made the moa unique compared to other birds," she said. [...] The direction of the project will be shaped by Mori scholars at the University of Canterbury's Ngi Tahu Research Centre. Ngi Tahu archaeologist Kyle Davis, an expert in moa bones, said the work has "really reinvigorated the interest in examining our own traditions and mythology."
Bad idea⦠(Score:2)
Re:Bad idea⦠(Score:4, Interesting)
This is just part of the long-running feud between Jackson and Spielberg.
Imagine a Jurassic Park remake without any CGI or special effects? "In your face Steven!".
Oh, and technically, the moa *is* a dinosaur. [wikipedia.org]
And I'd rather do battle with a velociraptor than a cassowary. Not sure about a moa. (Google's first auto-complete for cassowary is "attack")
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Apparently Moa were very tasty, hence why they became extinct not long after humans came here.
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Well, this alone pretty much guarantees their continued existence once they're resurrrected .....
Peri-peri Moa..... mmmmmmmmmm
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Apparently Moa were very tasty, hence why they became extinct not long after humans came here.
After you had Moa once, you want Moa and Moa and Moa.
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If birds are dinosaurs, then mammals are fish and so are birds.
Related, most likely , based upon current scientific consensus, but related does not equal the same.
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If birds are dinosaurs, then mammals are fish and so are birds.
No, I did say "technically", and "fish" has no technical meaning.
If you disagree, argue with the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.
Re: Bad idea⦠(Score:2)
Birds ARE dinosaurs. A 12 foot tall bird, especially so.
Paging Dr Ian Malcom (Score:2)
Moas are even bigger.
Re: Paging Dr Ian Malcom (Score:2)
But they were defeated by the New Zealanders 500 years ago.
Presumably because they were like "that's a fucking dinosaur! We should kill it"
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Turns out Jurassic Park is actually based on the guy from Colossal. He's been at this for that long.
Re:Bad idea⦠(Score:5, Informative)
I wish Colossal would just be more honest about what they're doing. They're not "bringing back lost species"; they're inserting just a handful of genes into modern species, genes which have the most impact on physical appearance. This is very different from bringing back the species itself, the entire genome. I'm glad that Slashdot's blurb at least had lots of caveats ("to resemble", etc).
(I won't even say that what Colossal is doing is useless. Their modified animals certainly seem a better starting point for future engineering efforts than just starting from scratch; at the very least, they'll be the right size for e.g. gestation / ovogenesis of the further modified progeny)
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If they get the size and the taste right, who cares?
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If you didn't have an interest before in eating tinamou, why would you develop one just because some company makes them big?
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Big chickens are always a hit.
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Because that could never go wrong. (Score:1)
Re:Because that could never go wrong. (Score:4, Funny)
"Orange Dawn"
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I feel like 2025 is just replaying all the apocalypse movies of my childhood. Terminator and now Jurassic Park. What could go wrong.
I've said it before, and I'll likely say it again, the folks making these decisions read all the same sci-fi and fantasy books we did, and watched all the same movies, but rather than seeing them as a warning, they saw them as a roadmap. And they're arrogant enough to think the warning doesn't apply to them. They'll keep playing with dangerous toys until the danger becomes insurmountable. Early warnings like researchers killed by their project won't be enough to slow them down. It'll have to be raised to th
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Yes, they became extinct due to 'overhunting'... the Maori found them delicious.
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The rich tapestry of Maori verbal history concerning the Moa indicates it "tastes like chicken".
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There's also the issue that Europeans as well found it difficult to conceive of the concept that an entire species could just go extinct.
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They're basically ostriches, so it can be done. If the other option is hunting them to extinction I think the better path is clear (if you want to continue enjoying their tasty meat).
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Ostriches aren't really domesticated, just in captivity. They are not your friend. Even people who keep them have to take precautions because sometimes they flip their shit and attack, and they can kill you.
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The same is true of pretty much any animal... Dogs can kill, cows can kill etc. Even small animals are potentially dangerous although you're more likely to be able to fight them off.
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The same is true of pretty much any animal.
Yes, including humans. But ostriches are likely to attack everyone.
They were damn big! (Score:2)
Re:They were damn big! (Score:4, Informative)
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We're still #1!
De-extinction? What's he trying to resurrect? (Score:2)
Moderate Republicans, or Fiscally Conservative Democrats?
Only one possible title for a movie about this (Score:2)
"Moa Money Moa Problems"
Rather kills the lie... (Score:2)
... that "native peoples" live in harmony with nature. The maori rock up in NZ and the Moa is extinct within a century.
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After all, what would Kiwi rugby teams do if not for Māori rituals?
On a side note, I've always found the Hakka to be more humorous that menacing.
Can I put a saddle on it? (Score:1)
Are those your legs or are you riding a Moa?
To what end? (Score:2)
Word salad (Score:3)
This "ambitious partnership" sounds like pandering bollocks. The entire press release is written like this.
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This "ambitious partnership" sounds like pandering bollocks. The entire press release is written like this.
You don't seem to understand the purpose of a press release.
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In reality it will be actual scientists who do the work all the way through. Even if it is successful (a big if) it will be decades to releasing a viable population into the wild. After all that, Mori can help out with preservation of their habitats and conservation work. Again, with modern science. But hey NZ has to pander to this shit and I fe
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Tastiness comparison to related birds (Score:3)
tldr; google Ai overview queried
how delicious is ostrich or emu compared to the tinamou?
(moa is supposed to be related to tinamou.)
tldr answer: should be like a delicate quail or pheasant!
but you could just run a tinamou farm, though not as cool!
Ostrich:
Taste: Ostrich meat is often described as having a taste similar to beef or veal, with some describing a subtle butter or toasted walnut flavor.
Texture: It's known for being tender and juicy, especially when prepared correctly.
Comparisons: Many find it a good substitute for beef in various dishes.
Emu:
Taste: Emu meat is often described as having a more pronounced, slightly gamier taste compared to ostrich, which some find appealing.
Texture: It can be slightly less tender than ostrich, but still suitable for various cooking methods.
Comparisons: Some find it similar to bison or venison.
Tinamou:
Taste: Tinamou has a more delicate, refined flavor, often compared to pheasant or grouse.
Texture: It's generally described as tender and fine-textured.
Comparisons: Its subtle flavor profile differs significantly from the richer, beef-like flavors of ostrich and emu.
In essence: If you're looking for a red meat with a flavor profile similar to beef, ostrich is often preferred. Emu offers a similar experience but with a potentially stronger, gamier flavor. Tinamou, on the other hand, provides a more delicate and subtle flavor profile, distinct from both ostrich and emu.
How much space for a self-sustaining collection? (Score:2)
Came here for the Bad Taste jokes (Score:1)
I figured the "tastes like chicken" comments were inevitable and then you throw in Peter Jackson, and obviously everyone is thinking about Bad Taste. But then I couldn't think of any really good ones, so I'll just punish the world with the Jackson jokes that I did come up with.
The moas died because they were feeble. As the Feebles, get it?
Um, what did the moa say to the kung-fu catholic priest? "Oh yeah? Well I kick ass for The Lord of the Rings!"
How many moas does it take to prepare ear-pus-custard? Mo