Scientists Decode RNA from Extinct Tasmanian Tiger for the First Time
Researchers have successfully isolated and decoded RNA molecules from a Tasmanian tiger, also known as a thylacine, which has been extinct for over 2,000 years. The genetic material was obtained from a 130-year-old thylacine specimen held at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm. This breakthrough has allowed scientists to gain a better understanding of the animal’s genes and how they functioned. The findings were published in the scientific journal Genome Research.
According to lead study author Emilio Mármol Sánchez, a computational biologist at the Centre for Palaeogenetics and SciLifeLab in Sweden, studying RNA provides insights into the biology of extinct animals. He explained, “RNA gives you the chance to go through the cell, the tissues and find the real biology that has been preserved in time for that animal, the thylacine species, right before they died.”
The thylacine, about the size of a coyote, was a marsupial predator native to Tasmania. It became extinct due to extensive hunting by European settlers, with the last thylacine in captivity dying in 1936. While the goal of the research was not to bring back the species, the knowledge gained about the animal’s genetic makeup could aid ongoing efforts of thylacine resurrection.
Andrew Pask, who leads a project focused on resurrecting the thylacine, hailed the study as groundbreaking. Pask, a professor at the University of Melbourne and head of the Thylacine Integrated Genetic Restoration Research Lab, said, “We had previously thought only DNA remained in old museum and ancient samples, but this paper shows you can also get RNA from tissues.” He believes this discovery will enhance scientists’ understanding of extinct animals and facilitate the construction of more accurate extinct genomes.
The retrieval of RNA from an extinct animal is a notable achievement. Unlike DNA, which can endure for millions of years, RNA is more fragile and breaks down more rapidly. Previous studies had only successfully sequenced RNA from preserved tissues of non-extinct species, such as a 14,300-year-old wolf. Mármol Sánchez hopes to take this research further by recovering RNA from animals that went extinct even longer ago, including woolly mammoths.
Sequencing RNA from the thylacine specimen allowed the research team to identify thylacine-specific genes in the animal’s transcriptome. DNA is often referred to as the instruction manual for life, while RNA plays a crucial role in producing proteins by transcribing specific sections of DNA. Understanding RNA provides scientists with a more comprehensive understanding of an animal’s biology.
Mármol Sánchez compared DNA to a recipe book for a city’s restaurants, while RNA allows each restaurant to produce different dishes. “By using RNA, you can now go to the restaurant and taste the food,” he explained. This breakthrough in decoding RNA from an extinct species opens the door to a wealth of biological information that was previously inaccessible.
While this study serves as proof of concept, it represents a significant advancement in the field of genetic research. Scientists now hope to expand their RNA recovery efforts to learn more about the biology of extinct animals and potentially contribute to future de-extinction projects.