There’s something both inspiring and unsettling happening in the world of science right now.
A team of researchers and geneticists, backed by Peter Jackson (yeah, the guy behind Lord of the Rings), is working to bring back the giant moa — a massive, flightless bird that roamed New Zealand until humans wiped it out about 600 years ago. This thing stood over 12 feet tall and weighed nearly 500 pounds. Picture a walking dinosaur that ate ferns and towered over you like a basketball hoop on stilts.
It’s wild. And it's real.
They’re not just doing this in a lab. They’re working with the Māori Ngāi Tahu Research Centre to tie the effort into the cultural and ecological landscape of New Zealand — not just to bring back a species, but to bring back a part of nature’s balance that was lost.
Ben Lamm, CEO of Colossal Biosciences, put it this way in a recent People Magazine article:
“Bringing back the moa isn't just a scientific quest. It's a cultural and ecological restoration.”
And I believe him. I really do. But here’s the part that’s been sitting with me.
While all this time, money, and energy is going into de-extincting a giant bird from the past, real species — animals who still walk the earth, who are still breathing — are disappearing right now.
Species like the vaquita, the Sumatran orangutan, the northern bald ibis… all critically endangered, all teetering on the edge. All facing the same human-made threats that wiped out the dodo.
That’s the connection that got to me.
Because the dodo never got a second chance. Maybe it will, we'll see.
So here’s where I land with all of this:
Yes, it’s exciting that science is doing things we once thought impossible. I’m rooting for them. But I also think we need to tread lightly when fixing what we keep breaking. We already have a chance — right now — to protect what’s still here.
At Speciologie, that’s the mission. We're not scientists in labs. We're people who care, who create, and who give. All profits go directly to conservation. Not next year. Not when it's too late. Now.
Because extinction shouldn't be a fashion trend. It should be a wake-up call.
If the moa really does walk the Earth again, I hope we deserve to stand beside it.
Let’s protect the ones still standing.
—
Dave
Founder, Speciologie
Extinct. Not Forgotten.
www.speciologie.com
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