Scientists just hatched 26 live chicks inside 3D-printed artificial eggs

On May 19, 2026, Colossal Biosciences announced that it successfully hatched 26 healthy chicks using a fully artificial 3D-printed egg system.

The company, known for its dire wolf de-extinction project, developed artificial eggs using ultra-thin silicon membranes, titanium shells with microscopic pores, and carefully controlled incubators designed to mimic natural egg development.

Scientists transferred 3-day-old chicken embryos from real eggs into the artificial shells, where the chicks completed the remaining 18 days of incubation before hatching successfully.

Unlike fully synthetic embryos, the process still starts with fertilized chicken eggs. The breakthrough comes from replacing the natural eggshell with a 3D-printed artificial shell that can support full embryo development.

The artificial eggs use a honeycomb-like lattice structure combined with a silicone-based semipermeable membrane that allows oxygen in and carbon dioxide out, similar to a real eggshell.

According to the company, all 26 chicks hatched healthy and are now living at its facility.

Researchers believe this technology could one day help bring back extinct birds like the dodo and New Zealand’s giant moa.

Although similar artificial eggshell experiments have been done before, Colossal Biosciences says its system is the first fully artificial and scalable method that can support a bird’s full development without a natural eggshell.