A multimillion-dollar project with biologist researchers from Australia and the United States aims to use stem cells and gene editing technology to "resuscitate" the Thylacinus cynocephalus. The last animal of this species died in the 1930s. Learn more about the research project and the Tasmanian tiger breeding process.
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Tasmanian tiger extinction
The project, created by the University of Melbourne, in Australia, aims to bring back to life the extinct species of Tasmanian tiger, from stem cells of a marsupial species that has a similar genetic code, altering the genes using biotechnology of tip. The prediction is that, in 10 years, the first extinct Tasmanian tiger cub will be born.
Purpose of research and background
Australians have been interested in reviving this species for some years now. Extinct for practically a century, since 1999 researchers at the Australian Museum have projects for cloning the animal or reconstructing viable DNA from the still existing samples.
Thus, the University of Melbourne project won the interest of the company Colossal, which is headquartered in Texas, USA. Together, they lead a multimillion-dollar research to revive the species and, with that, attract attention. worldwide for the achievements and importance of biotechnology associated with the preservation of the bioecological.
History of marsupial persecution
The Tasmanian tiger population has declined exponentially since humans arrived in Australia thousands of years ago. The second progressive drop in the population of these animals occurred after the appearance of the dingo, a species of wild dog that competed for the same habitat.
Due to this, the densest population of the marsupial was concentrated on the island of Tasmania. Hence the name Tasmanian tiger. Also, the nickname "tiger" is given because they had stripes on their backs - however, they are Australian mammals, not tigers in fact.
Humans adept at hunting hunted these mammals until they became extinct. The last known Tasmanian tiger lived in captivity and died in 1936 at the Hobart Zoo, also in Australia.
