Researchers recently found a long-overlooked bucket in the back of a Melbourne Museum cabinet, containing a well-preserved thylacine head stored in ethanol for over 110 years. Andrew Pask, head of the Tigrr Lab at the University of Melbourne, described the sight as “gruesome” in an interview with The Guardian, noting that large parts of the head were cut off. Despite its condition, the specimen contained crucial genetic information for reconstructing the thylacine genome.
The thylacine or Tasmanian tiger, once Australia’s largest carnivorous marsupial, was driven to extinction primarily due to intensive hunting during European colonization. The last known individual died in 1936 in a Hobart zoo, Tasmania.
RNA as the key to revival
The discovery of a well-preserved thylacine head at Melbourne Museum revealed not just DNA but also rare RNA molecules. The tissue, consisting of skin and muscle, contained unexpectedly long RNA strands, offering valuable insights into the gene activity of the thylacine. Since RNA is much less stable than DNA and breaks down quickly, this find is remarkable, allowing scientists to delve deeper into the extinct animal’s biology, understanding its senses and functions.
Colossal Biosciences claims the thylacine genome is now 99.9% sequenced, though 45 gaps remain. These are expected to be closed soon using cutting-edge sequencing techniques and DNA from a 120-year-old tooth. However, no evidence has yet been provided to support these claims.
The thylacine revival project is primarily driven by Colossal Biosciences, a company specializing in the “resurrection” of extinct species. In addition to the thylacine, Colossal aims to bring back the woolly mammoth, the dodo, and more recently, the ivory-billed woodpecker. The company has raised $235 million in research funding, backed by prominent supporters such as Peter Jackson, Paris Hilton, and Chris Hemsworth, and supports 13 laboratories worldwide, including the Tigrr Lab at the University of Melbourne.
Return of the thylacine within reach
Although the thylacine genome is nearly fully sequenced, there’s no current method to create living cells with it. Scientists aim to genetically modify the closely related fat-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata) to resemble the thylacine, altering its stem cells to mimic those of the extinct species.

Andrew Pask’s team is optimistic that in three to five years, they could produce a thylacine-like creature. While features like the skull and stripes can be recreated, replicating behavior and brain functions remains challenging.
Last year, a Swedish study demonstrated the ongoing value of museum specimens by successfully isolating RNA from an old thylacine, shedding light on the animal’s gene activity and offering essential insights into its biology. This process, called “transcriptional profiling,” provides information on which genes were active in the animal’s cells and which proteins they produced, giving a detailed view of its functional biology.
Critical voices emerge
The idea of bringing back the Tasmanian tiger garners worldwide interest but also skepticism. Some experts question whether the immense financial and technical resources are justified, given the many living species currently facing extinction.
Euan Ritchie, a professor of wildlife ecology and conservation at Deakin University, recognizes the project’s potential to yield significant scientific insights but cautions about major ecological issues. He expressed concerns about how the recreated animals would behave in the wild: “How will they behave in the wild and what effects might they have in the ecosystems? We have no idea how they are going to behave because there are no living thylacines left, and when you can bring back a thylacine-like animal it has got no other thylacine-like animals to learn from.”
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