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NEED TO KNOW
- U.S. biotech company Colossal Bioscience and the University of Melbourne are collaborating to revive a number of species lost to history
- Lead scientist Professor Andrew Pask revealed they’ve now mapped the genome of the Tasmanian tiger, an extinct marsupial that hasn’t been seen in its natural habitat since 1936
- The findings come after Colossal Bioscience announced earlier this year that they’ve essentially revived the extinct dire wolf
Scientists have successfully mapped the genome of the Tasmanian tiger, an extinct marsupial native to Australia that was last seen in its natural habitat in 1936.
The discovery, a collaboration between U.S. biotech company Colossal Bioscience and the University of Melbourne, could have the Tasmanian Tiger revived in as little as eight years, 9 News reported.
“We’ve been able to sequence the entire thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger genome now, absolutely every single bit of code from one end to the other of the genome,” Lead scientist Professor Andrew Pask told the outlet.
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“We’ve been able to make the first really key stem cells that we can do this whole genetic engineering process that we need to recreate the thylacine,” he added.
Tasmanian Thylacine Advisory Committee chair Derwent Valley Mayor Michelle Dracoulis told 9 News, “The thylacine is not just an animal where I come from, it’s part of the identity of the people that live there.”
The research announcement comes after Colossal Bioscience similarly managed to revive the extinct dire wolf earlier this year. The company unveiled three fluffy dire wolf pups, named Romulus, Remus and Khalessi. The species of wolves was notably featured in hit show Game of Thrones.
The company uses gene editing to modify the traits of existing animals to the point that their DNA becomes, essentially, that of lost animals.
“Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies,” Colossal CEO and co-founder Ben Lamm said in a statement in April.
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George R. R. Martin, the writer behind the novels on which Game of Thrones was based, said in a statement at the time, “Many people view dire wolves as mythical creatures that only exist in a fantasy world, but in reality, they have a rich history of contributing to the American ecosystem.”
Both the dire wolves and Tasmanian tiger projects are a part of Colossal’s de-extinction project, in which they are seeking to revive a number of species lost to history.