Colossal Biosciences announced Tuesday it has successfully hatched 26 live chickens using an artificial eggshell system made from 3D-printed lattice structures. The biotech company, which aims to resurrect extinct species, said the chicks ranged from a few days to several months old at the time of the announcement.

The hatching process involved pouring fertilized eggs into the artificial system and placing them in an incubator. Scientists added calcium, which is normally absorbed from natural eggshells, and monitored embryo development in real-time. The artificial eggshell includes a membrane designed to allow proper oxygen flow, similar to natural eggs.

Colossal CEO Ben Lamm said the technology could eventually be scaled up to help create birds resembling extinct species like New Zealand's South Island giant moa, whose eggs are 80 times larger than chicken eggs. The company has previously announced genetic modifications to living animals, including mice with mammoth-like characteristics and wolf pups resembling dire wolves.

However, independent scientists have questioned both the technology's completeness and the broader de-extinction goals. Vincent Lynch, an evolutionary biologist at the University at Buffalo, noted that the system lacks components like temporary organs that nourish developing chicks and remove waste. "That's not an artificial egg because you've poured in all the other parts that make it an egg. It's an artificial eggshell," Lynch said.

Researchers have used similar transparent eggshell technologies in previous decades for studying chicken development. Nicola Hemmings from the University of Sheffield noted that "producing a chick from an artificial vessel is not necessarily new," though she acknowledged the current technology's potential applications for developmental research.

Scientists expressed skepticism about the feasibility of true de-extinction efforts. Even if Colossal creates birds resembling extinct species, questions remain about their survival in modern environments that differ significantly from their historical habitats. Some researchers suggested the technology might be more valuable for preserving currently endangered species rather than attempting to revive extinct ones.