The dodo is one step closer to being resurrected thanks to a remarkable new genetic engineering experiment.

Scientists have genetically "edited" chickens - which they could lay eggs containing the extinct bird.

Colossal Biosciences, which just weeks ago announced plans to revive the long-dead giant Moa, is behind the breakthrough.

The firm, a biotechnology and genetic engineering company in Texas, has managed to create chickens which do not have their own primordial germ cells, which become sperm or eggs.

This leaves space for reconstructed dodo DNA to be inserted.

Once the dodo DNA has been placed inside the chicken egg, and it is then fertilised, the chicken will lay "dodo" eggs.

The recent breakthrough has been described as a 'pivotal step in bringing back the dodo'

Because there are no living dodos to take germ cells from, scientists must instead start with a pigeon germ cell and edit in dodo DNA before it can be transferred into a chicken.

Primordial germ cells have also been grown from pigeons, the closest relative to the dodo, by the team for the first time.

Colossal said the breakthrough was "a pivotal step in bringing back the dodo" which "paves the way to create the world's first dodos in nearly 300 years".

Ben Lamm, chief executive and co-founder of Colossal said: "Our avian team's breakthrough in deriving culture conditions that allow pigeon primordial germ cells to survive long-term is a significant advancement for dodo de-extinction."

The dodo bird went extinct over 300 years ago | GETTY

The dodo was a flightless bird native to Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, which went extinct at the end of the 17th century.

It took just 100 years from the arrival of humans on the island for hunting, and interference by other animals such as dogs, cats and pigs brought over by sailors, for the bird to be driven to extinction.

Vikash Tatayah, the director of conservation at the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, said: "The dodo, a bird woven in the DNA of Mauritius, is sadly iconic for the role mankind played in its extinction.

"It symbolises efforts to prevent species extinctions.

The bird was native to the island of Mauritius, located in the Indian Ocean

"We are so grateful for Colossal's technologies and the promise to return this iconic species to its native environment."

Dr Beth Shapiro, Colossal's chief science officer, said: "There has never been more urgency to preserve species than there is today.

"It's not just important for their continued existence. It's for the greater good of the planet.

"Together, Colossal and the scientific community at large are committed to our efforts to de-extinct those we've lost."

Alta Charo, who sits on the firm's scientific advisory board, said: "We have a duty to heal our planet, and to sustain it for future generations.

"With creativity, caution, and consultation, ethical use of modern genetic technologies can help stabilise ecosystems while brining the animals and plants who share our planet back from the brink of extinction."