Offspring of hen and duck brings hope for extinct bird revival

Scientists at the organization that brought us Dolly the sheep, the first cloned animal, have produced a genetically modified chicken fathered by a duck and birthed by a hen. No word on whether it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, but the researchers say it raises hope that hens could be used to produce different species, like songbirds and eagles — even extinct or endangered birds. "We could propagate endangered species or potentially bring back an extinct one if we had the right genetic material," the National Avian Research Facility's Mike McGrew told a British newspaper. Exciting or chilling? We can't decide which. [Source]

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