the tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, may roam the forests once again! this wolf-like marsupial, australia's last apex predator, was hunted to extinction in 1936. now, a team of scientists from colossal biosciences is making strides towards "de-extinction," using groundbreaking gene editing to potentially bring it back.
by decoding dna from a 108-year-old specimen and editing the genes of its closest living relative, the fat-tailed dunnart, researchers are pushing the boundaries of what's possible in science. they've already made 300 genetic edits and even replicated techniques from human ivf to grow embryos.
though some conservationists argue the focus should be on current endangered species, the project's advances in genetic technology could have wider benefits, potentially aiding other threatened marsupials like the tasmanian devil. could the comeback of this legendary predator become reality, or is it just "fairy tale science"? time will tell. image
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