00:00Scientists reconstruct Tasmanian tiger genome in bold de-extinction experiment.
00:06The Tasmanian tiger has been extinct for nearly a century, but scientists are trying to reconstruct
00:11enough of its biology to explore whether something like it could live again.
00:16The thylacine was a striped dog-shaped marsupial native to Tasmania, and the last known individual
00:22died in captivity in 1936.
00:24Now, biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences, working with researchers including Andrew
00:30Pask's team, is pursuing an ambitious de-extinction project.
00:34One major milestone involves the animal's genome.
00:38Researchers reported assembling a thylacine genetic sequence that was more than 99.9%
00:44complete, with only 45 gaps remaining.
00:47A preserved specimen about 110 years old also yielded RNA, giving scientists information
00:53about which genes were active in different tissues.
00:56But scientists cannot simply copy that DNA and produce a thylacine.
01:01The project instead looks toward close living marsupial relatives, while developing gene editing
01:07and reproductive technologies that could eventually create an animal carrying key thylacine traits.
01:13That makes the project both scientifically exciting and controversial.
01:17Supporters argue that the technology could also help endangered living species.
01:23Critics question whether enormous resources should go toward recreating extinct animals when
01:28existing species urgently need protection.
01:31And no living thylacine has been produced.
01:34For now, the breakthrough is genetic, not resurrection.
01:39Still, scientists can read more of the thylacine's biological blueprint than ever before, turning an
01:44animal lost in 1936 into one of de-extinction science's boldest experiments.
Comments