Of Mice And....Tasmanian Tigers

DNA from an extinct creature has been resurrected in a live animal for the first time. The genetic material, extracted from the extinct Tasmanian tiger, proved functional in mice.

The last known Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, died in captivity in 1936 in the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania. This enigmatic marsupial carnivore was hunted to extinction in the wild in the early 20th century.

In fact, a study last year hinted at the possibility that the creatures might still exist, but the evidence was not conclusive.

Fortunately, some thylacine young were preserved in alcohol in several museum collections around the world, as were tissues from adults, such as in pelts.

This research might prove especially helpful now, "at a time when extinction rates are increasing at an alarming rate, especially of mammals," Marilyn Renfree added.