‘Unsettling’ bid to bring dodo back to life
And other stories from the stranger side of life
Scientists are trying to bring the dodo back to life after it went extinct 361 years ago. Researchers at Colossal Biosciences, a US gene-editing firm, said they will “de-extinct” the flightless bird in a new $150m project. The project, described as “unsettling” by the Financial Times, will see scientists mine the dodo genome for key traits that they believe they can effectively reassemble within the body of a living relative. The company, Colossal Biosciences, has already embarked on projects to revive the woolly mammoth and the thylacine.
Emma Watson reads Mein Kampf in deepfake hoax
A company has been forced to introduce safeguards after a deepfake audio recording of the actress Emma Watson reading Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler was released. In the latest misuse of AI technology, hoaxers also used the voice-cloning technology to produce fake clips of Sir Alec Guinness and President Biden making sexist and transphobic comments, and Sir David Attenborough being racist. The firm, ElevenLabs, has pledged to tackle abuse of its voice-cloning technology, said The Times.
World’s richest dog inherited £64m fortune
The world’s richest dog “lives the life of an A-list celebrity” in the former home of Madonna, reported the Daily Star. The story of Gunther VI, a German shepherd, set to be featured in the upcoming documentary Gunther’s Millions, which will reveal that Gunther inherited the £64.9m ($80m) fortune of countess Karlotta Liebenstein. “The story sounds bonkers,” said the director. “So, naturally we were intrigued right from the start.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
For more odd news stories, sign up to the weekly Tall Tales newsletter.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
6 charming homes for the whimsical
Feature Featuring a 1924 factory-turned-loft in San Francisco and a home with custom murals in Yucca Valley
By The Week Staff Published
-
Big tech's big pivot
Opinion How Silicon Valley's corporate titans learned to love Trump
By Theunis Bates Published
-
Stacy Horn's 6 favorite works that explore the spectrum of evil
Feature The author recommends works by Kazuo Ishiguro, Anthony Doerr, and more
By The Week US Published
-
What will happen in 2025? Predictions and events
The Explainer The new year could bring further chaos in the Middle East and an intensifying AI arms race – all under the shadow of a second Donald Trump presidency
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?
Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
By The Week UK Published
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikes
Speed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published