De-extinction - Artensterben

Blaubock: Colossal plant die Wiederauferstehung

One of the few known bluebuck specimens at the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle in Paris—none is preserved intact, which makes genetic reconstruction considerably more difficult. Image: Doreen Fräßdorf

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1. May 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

The resurrection of the Bluebuck?—New plans from Colossal Biosciences

More than 200 years ago, the bluebuck disappeared from southern Africa. Now the US biotech company Colossal Biosciences is working to bring this extinct species back to life, at least in part. The approach is known as de-extinction. The bluebuck (Hippotragus leucophaeus) was an antelope found exclusively in the open

Taurus cattle in the Gerhausen/Beiningen quarry (Baden-Württemberg)

Taurus cattle in the “Urzeit-Weide” grazing project (Baden-Württemberg). An ecological approximation of the extinct aurochs—not a “bringing back” of extinct species. (© Jens Kramer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

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10. February 2026 Doreen Fräßdorf

De-extinction: Does the prospect of reviving an extinct species reduce concern about the extinction of extant species?

Less than a year ago, the US company Colossal Biosciences announced with great media fanfare that it had brought the so-called dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus), which went extinct around 13,000 years ago, back to life. The same is said to become possible in the future for other iconic extinct and

Peter Jackson will Südinsel-Riesenmoa zurückbringen

This is what a South Island giant moa may have looked like—the extinct bird species is now set to be "brought back" using modern genetic engineering. The controversial project is supported by director Peter Jackson and the US company Colossal Biosciences.

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9. July 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

De-extinction: Peter Jackson wants to bring back the extinct giant moa—scientists remain skeptical

New Zealand director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings, Braindead) is supporting an ambitious project to revive the South Island giant moa. Together with the US biotech firm Colossal Biosciences, the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre, and the Canterbury Museum, the flightless bird that went extinct in the 14th or

Genom des Nördlichen Breitmaulnashorns entschlüsselt

Angalifu, the bull that died in 2014, lives on in research: in 2025, the first complete genome of the northern white rhino was decoded from his skin cells. Is this the key to saving the subspecies? (© Sheep81, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

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21. May 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

Hope from the Lab: Genome of the Northern White Rhino Decoded

The northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) is functionally extinct. Since the death of the last known male, Sudan, in 2018, only two females remain worldwide: Najin and Fatu, both at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Neither can carry a calf to term anymore. But an international research group has

Sudan: Das letzte Nördliche-Spitzmaulnashorn-Männchen, das 2018 verstarb

The animal in the photo is Sudan, the last male northern white rhino. He died in March 2018. He had no horns, as they had deliberately been removed to protect him from poachers. (© Lengai101, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

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24. February 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

Can We Still Save the Northern White Rhino?

Deep in the African savanna of Kenya, in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy wildlife reserve, live the last known representatives of their subspecies: 24-year-old Fatu and her 35-year-old mother Najin. The northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), a subspecies, stands on the brink of final extinction. Yet international research teams are

In a selective breeding program in South Africa, several plains zebras have been bred that strongly resemble the extinct quagga. The progress from one generation to the next is clearly visible: the adult animals have fewer stripes, while the foals already show the quagga’s characteristic brownish tones. Image: Photograph by The Quagga Project, CC BY 4.0., CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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14. January 2025 Doreen Fräßdorf

Extinct animals scientists want to bring back to life

What if the thylacine once again roamed Tasmania’s forests and the dodo made Mauritius its home again? Cutting-edge science and modern technologies are making it possible to bring extinct animals back to life. Although extinction is a natural process, human activity has dramatically accelerated it over the past 500 years.

The passenger pigeon was once the most common bird in North America. Today, it exists only in historical records and museum samples. Now modern gene-editing technologies are supposed to help bring the species back. (© Hayashi and Toda (artists), Charles Otis Whitman (author)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

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25. October 2024 Doreen Fräßdorf

The Revival of the Passenger Pigeon: A Project by Revive & Restore

The passenger pigeon, once the most common bird in North America, has been extinct for more than a century. Now, biologists from the nonprofit organization Revive & Restore have set a goal to bring the species back using cutting-edge gene-editing technologies. Under the leadership of Ben Novak, efforts are underway

Scientists discovered a well-preserved thylacine head with tissue in a museum in Melbourne, Australia. This museum find could help revive the extinct thylacine using genetic methods. (© Westell, William Percival, 1874-1937, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

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17. October 2024 Doreen Fräßdorf

Putrid Museum Find Reveals 99.9% of Thylacine Genome

Researchers recently found a long-overlooked bucket in the back of a Melbourne Museum cabinet, containing a well-preserved thylacine head stored in ethanol for over 110 years. Andrew Pask, head of the Tigrr Lab at the University of Melbourne, described the sight as “gruesome” in an interview with The Guardian, noting

This painting is a copy of the original, which was acquired from a dealer in Augsburg in the 19th century. The original likely dates back to the 16th century. It is unclear whether it depicts an aurochs, a cross between cattle and an aurochs, or an aurochs-like cattle breed. (© Charles Hamilton Smith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

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5. October 2024 Doreen Fräßdorf

The Return of the Aurochs as the Tauros: From Extinction Back to the Pastures

For nearly 400 years, the aurochs, or urus, the wild ancestor of all modern domesticated cattle, has been considered extinct. However, it may soon reappear in the form of the Tauros, its selectively bred successor, in the UK. According to a report by BBC Countryfile, there are plans to reintroduce

Gelingt Wissenschaftlern die Elfenbeinspecht-Wiederbelebung bis 2025?

Ivory-billed woodpeckers were found mainly in the southern United States. The main causes of their population decline are believed to be hunting and habitat loss. (© Doreen Fräßdorf, fotografiert im Natural History Museum in London, England, 2024)

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3. October 2024 Doreen Fräßdorf

Biotech Company Plans to Revive the Ivory-billed Woodpecker by 2025

The U.S. biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences announced on October 1st its plan to revive the ivory-billed woodpecker by 2025, amidst the ongoing debate about whether this iconic bird species is truly extinct. The ivory-billed woodpecker was once a keystone species in the forests of the southern United States, playing a