Bringing Back the Bluebuck: De-Extinction Efforts Gain Ground

A groundbreaking initiative to resurrect the bluebuck antelope, which has been extinct since the early 1800s, is underway. The bluebuck once roamed the coastal grasslands of South Africa until European settlers hunted it to extinction.

US company Colossal Biosciences, based in Dallas, announced that the bluebuck will join their ambitious de-extinction portfolio. This effort is part of a broader attempt to genetically engineer the return of six extinct species.

The company's de-extinction project not only includes the bluebuck but also aims to revive the dire wolf, woolly mammoth, thylacine, as well as the dodo and moa. Such efforts highlight the interplay of science and technology in addressing historical ecological impacts.

(With inputs from agencies.)