RNA sequencing of extinct animals for the first time

CTOnews.com, Sept. 28-researchers at Stockholm University have isolated, extracted and sequenced the RNA of an extinct Tasmanian tiger (also known as thylacine) for the first time.

"mastering the ability to recover RNA from extinct species is another small step towards reviving extinct species in the future," said Love Dalen, a professor of evolutionary genetics who led the project.

The researchers used samples from thylacine specimens that have been kept at the Swedish National Museum of Natural History in 1891. They collected three muscle samples and three skin samples, each weighing about 80 milligrams.

CTOnews.com Note: the Tasmanian tiger, also known as the thylacine, is a mammal of the family thylacidae, also known as the Tasmanian tiger because of its markings. The thylacine, once widely distributed in mainland Australia, became extinct in the 1930s as humans went on a hunting spree, and the last one died at the Bomaris Zoo in 1936.

More information: Emilio M á rmol-S á nchez et al, Historical RNA expression profiles from the extinct Tasmanian tiger, Genome Research (2023). DOI: 10.1101/gr.277663.123