Extinct giant bird being brought back to life
The moa bird, which has been extinct for 600 years, could make a return to the world. The herbivore weighed 500 pounds and stood about 12 to 13 feet tall.
The flightless bird was sacred to the Maori people, the native populace of New Zealand. According to their oral traditions, they were a largely docile bird. According to a study in Quaternary Science Reviews, they became extinct due to overhunting by humans.
'Peter Jackson was really excited about the work that we're doing. He knew we were working on the mammoth, the Tasmanian tiger, and then the dodo, and he was very upset that we were not working on the moa,' Ben Lamm, who founded The Colossal Foundation, told 'Elizabeth Vargas Reports.'
Ghislaine Maxwell should testify before Congress: Dershowitz
'If we can ever bring back species that we as mankind had a role in their extinction, while also building technologies to help conservation, (we can) help to return something that's sacred, back to the Maori people, the indigenous people of New Zealand, all while kind of inspiring kids. It kind of checked all of the boxes,' he added.
Lamm noted that Jackson 'offered to accelerate the efforts with funding.'
The moa birds will be reintroduced into areas on the South Island of New Zealand allocated by the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre.
Lamm added that the moa birds will have the capacity to reproduce with themselves thanks to engineered additional genetic diversity that allows previously extinct animal populations to reproduce.
'Our goal is to build sustainable populations with enough genetic diversity that they can thrive on their own.' The foundation 'doesn't have to make more for New Zealand, they can actually just build up their own flock over time,' he said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Scientists make surprising discovery after studying drone footage of remote river: 'Confirms the utmost importance of this site'
Scientists make surprising discovery after studying drone footage of remote river: 'Confirms the utmost importance of this site' By utilizing cutting-edge technology, a research team from the University of Florida has developed a method to survey wildlife with remarkable accuracy. As explained in a summary posted on the team used images captured by drones and statistical modeling to document over 41,000 giant South American river turtles along the Guapore River, which runs through Brazil and Bolivia. The drones helped create orthomosaics, which are hundreds of overlapping photographs stitched together by a computer program. This helped researchers track turtle numbers without disturbing the habitat. Over 12 days, the drone captured thousands of images to supplement the work of observers on the ground to estimate the turtle population. Ismael Black, one of the study's authors, noted there were other possibilities for the research. He said, "Although the method is used to count turtles, it could be applied to other species." The giant South American river turtle is also known as the Tartaruga-da-amazônia ("Amazon turtle") in Brazil. It's one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world, and it spends the vast majority of its life in the water; females only leave to lay eggs. While the adult turtles don't have much to worry about, the hatchlings are vulnerable to predators and poaching. As an article by Permian Global states, the once plentiful turtles' numbers dwindled dramatically in the 1800s. Between 1848 and 1859, approximately 48 million eggs were gathered annually by locals for export to Europe. Their numbers have since rebounded, but they're still at risk. The study demonstrates the benefits of employing technology in conservation efforts. Similar key insights were gained from deploying tiny "backpacks" on hummingbirds in South America. Another example is the efforts to use drones to protect the plants that declining numbers of monarch butterflies depend on to survive. Trail cameras are another key tool used to form conservation strategies for the most elusive species. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The insights gained can also serve as a catalyst for raising public awareness of a threatened species and its specific needs. In this instance, the study mentioned the importance of protecting the breeding grounds: "The estimated number of females in this study confirms the utmost importance of this site for the conservation of the species." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the the daily Crossword
Medscape
7 hours ago
- Medscape
CLL: More Protection, More Problems?
TOPLINE: In a 14-year study of 6217 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), regular immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IgRT) was associated with higher infection rates during treatment periods than during nontreatment periods. Monthly infection-related hospitalizations doubled, while IgRT use quadrupled over the study period. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a retrospective longitudinal analysis of 6217 patients diagnosed with CLL between 2008 and 2022 in Victoria, Australia, using linked hospital and death data. Analysis included Kaplan-Meier survival analyses to estimate survival, infection incidence, and IgRT use, while Cox survival analyses explored associations between infections and IgRT in regular prophylactic users. Investigators tracked 753 patients (12.1%) who received IgRT, with 524 (8.4%) receiving regular treatment, defined as at least three IgRT sessions within a 5-month period, with no gaps longer than 3 months. TAKEAWAY: Patients experiencing serious infections showed significantly higher mortality rates (0.090; 95% CI, 0.074-0.110) than those without infections (0.008; 95% CI, 0.007-0.009). Regular IgRT users demonstrated higher infection incidence during treatment periods (0.056; 95% CI, 0.052-0.060) vs nontreatment periods (0.038; 95% CI, 0.035-0.042). Serious infections were strongly associated with IgRT initiation (hazard ratio [HR], 31.91; 95% CI, 24.94-40.82) and cessation (HR, 3.81; 95% CI, 2.71-5.35). The median survival time from CLL diagnosis was 10 years, with infection-related hospitalizations doubling, while IgRT use quadrupled over the 14-year follow-up period. IN PRACTICE: 'Given the increasing use and costs of IgRT, these results highlight the need to evaluate the causal association between IgRT and infections and determine which patient subgroup, and at what point during their disease course, may benefit the most from IgRT treatment. Further research, particularly randomized controlled trials, is needed to fully understand the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of IgRT in this patient population,' wrote the authors of the study. SOURCE: The study was led by Sara Carrillo de Albornoz, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. It was published online in Blood Advances. LIMITATIONS: According to the authors, the retrospective design and potential selection bias were significant limitations. The study lacked key clinical prognostic factors, disease severity data, and cancer treatment-related information. Additionally, researchers could not stratify patients or adjust for infection risk, particularly underlying hypogammaglobulinemia. The analysis was limited to serious infections, while outpatient infections and oral antibiotic treatments outside of hospital were not captured. DISCLOSURES: The study was funded by the Medical Research Future Fund Value-Ig Study. Erica Wood and Zoe McQuilten disclosed receiving grant funding from CSL Behring unrelated to this study and research funding to their institution from Abbvie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Beigene, Celgene, Janssen, New Zealand Blood Service, Novartis, Sanofi, and Takeda. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
TechCrunch
18 hours ago
- TechCrunch
Rocket Lab eyes big defense opportunities with new acquisition
Rocket Lab is signaling to investors, yet again, that it's more than 'just' a rocket company. Rocket Lab's second-quarter results, which were posted Thursday, show revenues continue to be driven by its space systems business rather than launch. The results also highlighted the company's acquisition strategy and how its purchase of a new optical payloads company will make it more competitive for lucrative government contracts. The company's space systems brought in $97.9 million of the $144.5 million in total revenues for the second quarter. Rocket Labs' total revenue, its highest quarterly revenue in the company's history, jumped 36% from a year ago. The company's net loss widened to $66.4 million. Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck highlighted the 'busy quarter of M&A activity' as the company is gets close to closing its deal to buy Geost, a company that builds optical payloads. Through that acquisition, which will close at $275 million in cash and equity, Rocket Lab is opening a new business unit called Optical Systems to scale electro-optical and infrared sensor manufacturing. Those sensors are used in missile warning, tracking, and space domain awareness. The acquisition is also one part of a larger play from Rocket Lab – spelled out quite explicitly in the company's earnings presentation – to bid for multi-billion-dollar DOD initiatives like Golden Dome. Rocket Lab has already won some major defense contracts, including a $515 million, 18-satellite build contract to support the Space Development Agency's constellation of missile tracking satellites. The company has moved into production on those satellites, following confirmation that they meet the DOD's mission requirements, Rocket Lab said. Down on Earth, Rocket Lab says its progressing well toward the first launch of its larger Neutron rocket. The rocket's launch complex in Virginia is expected to be complete in the third quarter of this year, with hardware en route and the new rocket engine, called Archimedes, undergoing multiple tests per day. Techcrunch event Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital, Elad Gil — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $600+ before prices rise. Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. San Francisco | REGISTER NOW The company is staying vague about the exact launch date, saying only in the presentation that it is pushing an 'all-out effort to get Neutron to the launch pad before the end of 2025.' Rocket Lab ended the quarter with $564 million in cash and cash equivalents and estimates revenues will hit between $145 to $155 million next quarter.
