Bringing Back the Tassie Tiger
Posted on: Wed 19 Aug 2020
In the last decade, Australia has lost three of its endemic species – continuing in a worsening trend of reducing biodiversity.
The thylacine (commonly known as the Tasmanian Tiger), rendered extinct crica. 1936, has garnered international fame as Australia’s most famous dead animal.
However, scientists have sequenced its genome from a sample of an ethanol-preserved thylacine pouch young and presented a new opportunity for de-extinction.
Doctor Andrew Pask, professor of epigenetics in the School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, spoke with Breakfast’s Tom Mann about his work sequencing the genome and the futures that lay ahead for the thylacine.
Produced by Leon Bishop
Image sourced: Wikimedia Commons
