Scientists create sensation: live chick hatches from artificial egg

Scientists at the US biotech startup Colossal Biosciences have conducted an experiment that has sparked great interest in the scientific world. For the first time, experts have successfully hatched 26 chicks from artificially created eggs.

The research results were published in the journal Phys. As part of the project, scientists used a special plastic shell made via 3D printing instead of a regular eggshell. Inside, they placed the contents of a fertilized egg—yolk, protein, and an embryo. The structure was then placed in an incubator.

Experts believe this technology could help restore certain extinct bird species in the future. Specifically, the giant South Island moa that lived in New Zealand is cited as an example. Since its eggs were nearly 80 times larger than modern chicken eggs, contemporary birds cannot incubate them.

However, the scientific community has not received this news uniformly. Some biologists argue that it is not accurate to call this a fully "artificial egg." In their view, it is simply an artificial shell containing natural contents.

In particular, Vincent Lynch described this technology as an "improved artificial shell."

At the same time, scientists note that even with genetic editing, it is extremely difficult to fully restore extinct species. This is because the result is not the exact creature itself, but a new organism with modified genes.