Researchers say the Tasmanian tiger could be reborn within three years after a breakthrough in genome sequencing.
“It’s a big deal. The genome we have is better than most living animals, which is phenomenal,” said Andrew Pask, a scientist at the University of Melbourne.
The project is funded by US de-extinction and conservation company Colossal and is being carried out in partnership with the University of Melbourne.
Colossal said the relatively recent extinction of Tasmanian tigers means many specimens are well preserved and the animals are vital to the healthy functioning of Tasmania’s ecosystem. The animals, technically called marsupial wolves, went extinct in 1936.
Researchers used “one of the best-preserved specimens known of an extinct species” to produce an extensive genome.
“This genome is a first for an extinct species, and a feat that many scientists thought would never be achieved for extinct species,” Colossal says.