Overview
- Colossal disclosed on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, that 26 healthy chicks hatched after fertilized chicken egg contents were transferred into a 3D‑printed titanium lattice lined with a thin, breathable silicone membrane.
- The device mimics eggshell gas exchange by letting oxygen in and carbon dioxide out at normal air levels and includes a transparent window for real‑time imaging of embryo development.
- Researchers still started each run with fertilized eggs laid by hens, moved yolk, albumen and embryo into the artificial shell, and gave manual supplements such as calcium that a natural shell would normally supply.
- The company says the design is size‑scalable and plans tests on pigeons and emus as steps toward much larger shells that it argues would be needed for projects like the extinct South Island giant moa.
- Independent scientists and ethicists note major gaps before any de‑extinction or conservation rollout — peer‑reviewed data, genome reconstruction and editing, larger engineering tests, regulatory review, and clear plans for habitat and cultural stewardship.