US
2 MIN READ TIME
ANIMALS

Genes have been extracted from an extinct Tasmanian tiger

WORDS STEPHANIE PAPPAS
A Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) in captivity, circa 1930
© Alamy / Hebrew University of Jerusalem / NASA, Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Arizona State University

Scientists have extracted RNA from a Tasmanian tiger, marking the first time this molecule has ever been sequenced in an extinct animal. Like DNA, RNA (ribonucleic acid) carries genetic information. But instead of having a double strand of nucleotides as DNA does, RNA is made of a single strand. That makes it more likely to degrade over time and harder to extract from long-dead tissue. But understanding RNA is necessary for learning about the biology of an animal. RNA is the intermediary that translates DNA blueprints into the proteins that build cells; it also regulates cellular metabolism.

RNA “gives you a glimpse of the real biology, of how the cell was metabolically working when it was alive, right before the cell died,” said Emilio Mármol Sánchez, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Stockholm. This is particularly interesting for Tasmanian tigers, or thylacines (Thylacinus cynocephalus), carnivorous marsupials that lived in Australia until about 3,000 years ago, when the mainland population died out and the only survivors were left on the island of Tasmania. These survivors were driven to extinction by human hunting and trapping; the last known individual died in a zoo in Hobart, Australia, in 1936. Despite being marsupials, thylacines were dog-like; this represents a case of convergent evolution, in which two distinct lineages yield an animal with a lot of similarities, likely because it fills an ecological niche.

Unlock this article and much more with
You can enjoy:
Enjoy this edition in full
Instant access to 600+ titles
Thousands of back issues
No contract or commitment
Try for 99c
SUBSCRIBE NOW
30 day trial, then just $9.99 / month. Cancel anytime. New subscribers only.


Learn more
Pocketmags Plus
Pocketmags Plus

This article is from...


View Issues
How It Works
Issue 183
VIEW IN STORE

Other Articles in this Issue


How it works
WELCOME
Issue 183
REGULARS
Unusual arachnid
© Getty This is a whip spider, also
Cackling in the cosmos
© NASA/STScI Digitized Sky Survey/Noel Carboni There’s a
Chinese ghost town
© Getty Situated in the suburbs of Shenyang,
Belly of a bladderwort
© Alamy Unlike earth-rooted plants, bladderwort gets its
We might have Stonehenge’s Altar Stone origins all wrong
GLOBAL EYE Showcasing the incredible world we live
2,200-YEAR-OLD CHILD’S SHOE DISCOVERED IN AUSTRIAN MINE
The leather shoe had a piece of flax
Dinosaur-killing asteroid allowed flowers to thrive
The giant asteroid that snuffed out the dinosaurs
Haunting images reveal an enormous crater near the lunar south pole
A new mosaic of Shackleton crater as seen
ANCIENT, INCORRECT VERSION OF THE ‘PRAYER OF DAVID’ DISCOVERED
A 1,500-year-old text recording a section of Psalm
SCIENTISTS FIND ANEW VIRUS IN A DEEP PART OF THE PACIFIC
The new virus has been identified as a
James Webb Space Telescope finds a potential signature of life
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has revealed homemade
New malaria vaccine is vital for millions
Female Anopheles mosquitoes carry malaria disease © Getty/
Mysterious bamboo regeneration baffles scientists
A shoot of henon bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra var.
A gigantic blob of dark matter may be warping our galaxy
Did you know? The Milky Way contains between
FIRST-EVER SPACE LIT TERING FINE ISSUED
The United States government has handed out its
WISH LIST
The latest CIRCUS GIFTS AND GADGETS
BRAINDUMP
Amazing answers to your curious questions
THE LIBRARY
The latest book releases for curious minds
HOW TO…
Practical projects to try at home
INBOX
Speak your mind
FAST FACTS
Amazing trivia that will blow your mind
SPECIAL
MONSTER MYTHS BUSTED
Folklore tells us that terrifying creatures such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster lurk on the outskirts of civilisation. But can science explain the harrowing historic encounters humans have had with them?
ENVIRONMENT
WHY ANIMALS SHED
What prompts some creatures to regularly lose their old outer layers and replace them with fresh new skin?
ANATOMY OF A COMPOST HEAP
How the natural process of composting converts your leftovers into valuable fertiliser
HOW DOLPHINS SPEAK
These chatty marine mammals have multiple methods of communication
SCIENCE
SWEETIE SCIENCE
Find out why you have a sweet tooth, how different candies are perfected and how sugar affects your body
HOW FIREWORKS WORK
Discover the science behind the glitter and sparkle of these pyrotechnics
SPACE
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ASTRONAUT
Here’s a typical 24 hours on the International Space Station
SPACE JUNK UNCOVERED
Over 60 years of spaceflight has cluttered Earth’s orbit with debris. How do we track this material, and can we bring it safely back down?
HISTORY
INSIDE MEDIEVAL HOMES
Step inside the grand designs of the Middle Ages and discover what life was like
HOW BIG BEN WAS BUILT
It’s one of the most famous sights in London’s skyline, but how and when was this clock constructed?
TRANSPORT
INSIDE A LUXURY HYDROFOIL YACHT
Discover how this all-electric watercraft sails above the surface
SELF-POWERED PAVEMENTS
With the implementation of piezoelectric systems, the movement of traffic and pedestrians could light the way
TECHNOLOGY
6G FASTER, SMARTER,BETTER
Experts are already laying the groundwork for 6G, but what is this new type of network?
EVOLUTION OF NETWORKS
The 6G network is just the latest in a series of networking advances
CHALLENGES AHEAD
As with any other great advance in technology,
HOW 6G WILL WORK
The new network will feature a range of technology working in concert
BUILDING AQUAKE-PROOF BRIDGE
Constructing a bridge that can withstand an earthquake is as simple as building a seesaw and swing over a playground puddle
Chat
X
Pocketmags Support