en.Wedoany.com Reported - Dallas-based enterprise Colossal Biosciences has successfully hatched 26 healthy chicks using an artificial incubation system centered around 3D-printed plastic cups.
The company describes the device as a "fully artificial egg," consisting of an oval-shaped printed lattice coated internally with a semi-permeable silicone-based membrane. This membrane replicates the gas exchange function of a natural eggshell, allowing oxygen to pass through passively while maintaining humidity and blocking contaminants. A transparent window at the top of the structure enables researchers to observe embryonic development without disturbing the internal environment.
To hatch the 26 chicks, the Colossal team transferred the contents of eggs into the artificial shells within 24 to 48 hours of being laid, where the embryos continued to develop. Colossal reports that they also added ground calcium to compensate for the minerals a natural eggshell would have provided.
"Seeing them all moving inside the artificial eggs was incredible. You really get a sense that life can grow outside the womb," said Andrew Pask, Chief Biology Officer at Colossal Biosciences.
Colossal states that these cups can be manufactured in sizes far exceeding those of any existing bird species, a necessary condition for any future applications involving the South Island giant moa, a species for which the company is currently pursuing a "de-extinction" project.
Colossal Biosciences, founded in 2021 by CEO Ben Lamm and Harvard geneticist George Church, claims to have raised over $600 million in funding. The company's ongoing portfolio of "de-extinction" projects includes the dire wolf—three pups of which were born in 2024—as well as the dodo, the South Island giant moa, the woolly mammoth, and the thylacine.
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