October 22th
Australia’s thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger, has been extinct for decades, but Colossal Biosciences has made a breakthrough in bringing it back, thanks to the efforts of the UCSC Paleogenomics Lab.
The UCSC Paleogenomics Lab, led by Colossal Scientific Director Beth Shapiro, has processed samples from a 110-year-old preserved head reconstruct about 99.9% of the Tasmanian genome from
“The thylacine samples used for our new reference genome are among the best preserved ancient specimens my team has worked with,” said Shapiro. “It’s rare to have a sample that allows you to push the envelope in ancient DNA methods to such an extent.”