A project to resurrect the Tasmanian tiger using ancient and modern genes is underway in Melbourne, Australia.
Australian scientists aim to utilize advanced genetic techniques to create a living artificial cell of the Tasmanian tiger and subsequently reproduce it in vitro to bring new members of this extinct species back to life.
Illustration of the Tasmanian tiger. (Photo: Getty Images)
According to RT, the project is being carried out by a laboratory at the University of Melbourne in collaboration with the genetics company Colossal Biosciences, based in Dallas. The laboratory is known as TIGRR and aims to recreate the gene sequence of the Tasmanian tiger based on genetic sequences decoded in previous years.
Professor Andrew Pask, the head of TIGRR, stated: “Our efforts face many challenges, but we hope to overcome them with a team of scientists working together to solve the issues.”
Pask and his colleagues will use the gene sequence of the fat-tailed dunnart, a closely related species to the Tasmanian tiger, as the basis for the recreated gene. Genetic segments from other species will be incorporated to create a close approximation of the Tasmanian tiger’s DNA.
This animal is referred to as a tiger due to the stripes on its back, but this appearance is a result of evolutionary processes, making it the only known marsupial predator. The species was wiped out in Tasmania in the first half of the 20th century due to hunting and competition from other wildlife, such as the dingo.
The TIGRR laboratory will focus on developing in vitro pregnancy techniques for marsupials. For these mammals, the young are born and spend weeks or months nursing and growing in their mother’s pouch before developing independence. Scientists hope that due to this characteristic, their pregnancy process is relatively straightforward and can be artificially replicated.
