Tasmanian tiger on cusp of revival: New hope for extinct species
The thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf, went extinct in the 20th century. Scientists can now explain its origins and plan to bring it back to life. The company Colossal Biosciences, working on this ambitious project, has announced another milestone that brings us closer to restoring its population.
The Tasmanian tiger shares many characteristics with the Tasmanian devil, as both species belonged to dasyurids. In the past, they coexisted in the same ecosystems, but now thylacines are classified as a separate group of Australian predators.
The history of the Tasmanian thylacine
The thylacine, or Thylacinus cynocephalus, was the most significant predatory marsupial of its time. Initially, it inhabited regions of Australia and New Guinea and eventually settled only in Tasmania. After the arrival of European colonizers, it was deemed a pest, and bounties were offered for killing the animal. This led to a drastic decline in its population. Over time, only a few specimens remained globally, and the last thylacine died in 1936 at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart.
The death of the last individual significantly impeded understanding its history and identifying its ancestors. Nevertheless, researchers were not deterred and decided to thoroughly study thylacines. For instance, research by scientists from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, whose results were published in the "Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology," led to the discovery of fossilized remains of three new ancestral species of thylacines.
These were: Badjcinus timfaulkneri, Ngamalacinus nigelmarveni, and Nimbacinus peterbridge. Although these creatures differ from the modern thylacine, they are considered its ancestors, each contributing to the evolution of the thylacine, whose history has been difficult to understand until now. In turn, scientists from the American company Colossal Biosciences, which specializes in biotechnology and genetic engineering, are working on bringing the thylacine back to life. Their ambitious plans also include restoring populations of extinct woolly mammoths and dodos.
Plans to bring the thylacine back to life
The co-founder of Colossal Biosciences, Professor George Church of Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), discussed with IFLScience the current state of research on bringing thylacines back to life. The expert revealed that the company has developed a prototype artificial womb and used it to grow fertilized single-cell embryos of thylacines.
"The system is much more sophisticated than any existing device, with modulated precision microfluidics and gas control that enables us to control the environment the embryo is growing in, in a very precise way," Ben Lamm, one of the co-founders of Colossal Biosciences, told IFLScience. "It also enables us to image the embryo as it develops to make sure all developmental milestones are on track," he added.
"The device will be important for studying embryonic development and making sure the DNA edits we are making are driving the correct developmental changes. This will also enable us to generate thylacine young at scale for rewilding, without the need for surrogate mothers," Ben Lamm explained.
Scientists note that thylacines are a great starting point for testing this technology, which could be used to restore other species in the future. However, much more research is needed before that happens.
