- Thanks to a well-preserved Tasmanian tiger skull, scientists have assembled the most complete Tasmanian tiger genome to date.
- Meanwhile, scientists were also able to isolate long strands of RNA molecules from a 110-year-old sample.
- The findings provide a detailed blueprint as researchers work to bring the extinct species back to life and reintroduce it to its native habitat in Australia.
Scientists may be a few steps closer to reviving a long-extinct carnivorous marsupial known as the Tasmanian tiger.
Phenomenal biological sciencea company known for its genetic research to “delete” many species thought to be lost to time, announced last week that it had assembled the most complete Tasmanian tiger genome to date. Meanwhile, scientists were also able to isolate long strands of RNA molecules from a 110-year-old skull that had been skinned and preserved in ethanol. He said in a press release.
The potential breakthrough represents the latest chapter for Colossal, which has been working since 2022 with the University of Melbourne’s Integrated Genetic Restoration Research (TIGRR) laboratory to bring back the Tasmanian tiger. This species, also known as the thylacine, was hunted to extinction by 1936.
Armed with the findings, scientists now have a detailed blueprint as they work to bring the extinct species back to life and reintroduce it to its native habitat in Australia.
“We are pushing as fast as we can to create the science needed to make extinction a thing of the past,” Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal, said in a statement. “These developments in this project represent a major step forward in this mission.”
Tremendous biological science has moved toward “de-extinction” of the Tasmanian tiger
Colossal burst onto the scene in 2021 with its bold announcement that it would use gene editing to resurrect the iconic woolly mammoth. The research aims to reprogram elephant DNA with mammoth characteristics, such as thick hair and layers of fat, to help the hybrid animals survive in the Siberian tundra.
Since then, the genetic engineering company has also revealed its intentions to research ways to revive the dodo, and even the Tasmanian tiger.
Using gene editing technology on the preserved thylacine genome to create an embryo, The team hopes To eventually re-establish the Tasmanian tiger on the island of Tasmania off the southeastern tip of Australia.
New research breakthroughs, which have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed paper, could be a step in this direction.
Colossal claimed that the preservation of the century-old Tasmanian tiger head allowed scientists to reconstruct the thylacine genome, which is “the most complete and continuous ancient genome of any species to date.” Although the genome still contains 45 gaps, researchers aim to fill them with more sequencing in the coming months.
The team was also able to isolate long strands of ribonucleic acid (RNA) from the soft tissues of the preserved specimen, including its tongue, nasal cavity, brain and eye.
RNA versus DNA
Structurally similar to DNA, RNA is genetic material found in all living cells that is used to transmit information from the genome to the rest of the cell about what it should do. In other words, RNA molecules are responsible for converting genetic instructions from DNA into cellular function.
Isolating the genetic material means scientists “will be able to determine what a thylacine can taste, what it can smell, what kind of vision it has, and even how its brain works,” said Andrew Pask, a member of Colossal’s scientific advisory board. A researcher at the TIGRR Laboratory at the University of Melbourne said in a statement:
Tasmanian tigers have been extinct for decades
At first glance, Tasmanian tigers appear to resemble exotic dogs, but the animals are actually marsupials – closer to kangaroos and koalas than wolves and dogs.
This animal was found on the island of Tasmania, off the southern coast of Australia, and had distinctive dark lines extending from its shoulders to its tail, in addition to a dog-like head with strong jaws and an open bag at the back to carry young ones, according to what the British newspaper “Daily Mail” reported. Australian Museum.
Before the last of the species became extinct nearly 80 years ago, the Tasmanian tiger was widely distributed throughout Australia and later restricted to the island of Tasmania. The museum says the carnivores preyed on kangaroos and other marsupials, as well as small rodents and birds.
But the predators were no match for humans, and European colonists began hunting the species in the late 19th century until they eventually became extinct to prevent the animals from killing livestock, according to the Australian Museum.
A short clip discovered and digitized in 2020 shows what is believed to be the last remaining Tasmanian tiger living in captivity recorded in 1935. The clip, released by the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, shows a tiger named Benjamin wandering into a now-closed enclosure. Zoo about a year before his death.
Although eight sightings of the extinct marsupial have been reported to the Tasmanian Government in recent years, none have been verified or verified.
Other scientists also hope to revive long-lost species
Scientists at Colossal aren’t the only ones exploring the possibility of reviving the Tasmanian tiger.
Last year, Swedish scientists were able to recover and sequence RNA from an almost 130-year-old animal kept in a museum in Stockholm. At the time, this achievement represented the first of its kind to isolate and decode RNA molecules from an extinct species, according to a report published by the British newspaper “Daily Mail”. He studies.
By studying the threads, researchers were able to learn more about the biology of extinct species.
Although de-extinction was not the goal of last year’s study, researchers said a better understanding of the Tasmanian tiger’s genetic makeup could pave the way for its reintroduction.
Contributing: Mike Snyder, USA TODAY
Eric Lagata covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Contact him at elagatta@gannett.com
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