Science on verge of catching a tiger by the gene trail

Scientists are close to resurrecting the thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger, by manipulating its genome. This marsupial, once native to Australia, became extinct in 1936 due to hunting, habitat loss, and disease. Researchers have successfully sequenced the thylacine's full genome, using it as the basis to create a living specimen.

With the help of advanced genetic engineering and artificial intelligence, they are now able to edit genes at scale. The key to this process lies in identifying the closest living relative to the extinct species, which turns out to be the Fat-tailed Dunnart, a marsupial with a 99.8% genetic similarity to the thylacine. By using gene-editing tools, researchers will replace the differences between the two species, and then employ cloning techniques using a dunnart egg.

This baby thylacine would be tiny, about the size of a grain of rice, and could be hand-reared once it is born. The scientists aim to produce thylacines with diverse DNA to ensure a healthy breeding population. Professor Andrew Pask, the lead geneticist for this project, believes a live thylacine could walk the Earth again by 2036, restoring what was lost due to human actions.