Groundbreaking: Scientists Successfully Extract RNA from Extinct Species, Revolutionizing the Science World
Scientists successfully extract and decode RNA from an ancient extinct species, marking a groundbreaking achievement in genetic research and offering insights into the mysteries of the past
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For the very first time, geneticists have successfully isolated and deciphered RNA molecules from an extinct creature.
The genetic material obtained from a 130-year-old Tasmanian tiger, also known as a thylacine, specimen in the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm has provided scientists with a deeper understanding of the functioning of the animal's genes. The researchers recently published their findings in the scientific journal Genome Research. According to the lead study author, Emilio Mármol Sánchez, a computational biologist at the Centre for Palaeogenetics and SciLifeLab in Sweden, studying the RNA allows for an exploration of the cell and tissues, uncovering the preserved biology of the thylacine species just before their extinction.
The thylacine, a marsupial predator about the size of a coyote, became extinct in most areas around 2,000 years ago. However, it survived in the Australian island state of Tasmania until European settlers hunted it to extinction. The last known thylacine, named Benjamin, died from exposure in 1936 at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, Tasmania.
While de-extinction was not the objective of Mármol Sánchez's team's research, gaining a better understanding of the genetic composition of Tasmanian tigers could potentially aid ongoing efforts to bring back the species in some capacity.
Resurrecting a lost species
Andrew Pask, who leads a project aiming to resurrect the thylacine, said the paper was "groundbreaking."
"We used to believe that only DNA was present in old museum and ancient samples. However, this paper reveals that you can also extract RNA from tissues," stated Pask, a professor at the University of Melbourne in Australia and the leader of the Thylacine Integrated Genetic Restoration Research Lab.
Skull of the last thylacine that died in the Hobart Zoo on 7 September 1936.
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
He further stated that the discovery of the lost remains of the last Tasmanian tiger, found in plain sight, will greatly contribute to enhancing our knowledge of extinct animals' biology and enable the construction of more accurate extinct genomes.
Under optimal circumstances, ancient DNA has the ability to persist for over a million years, fundamentally transforming scientists' comprehension of history. RNA, a transient replica of a segment of DNA, is comparably delicate and deteriorates at a faster rate than DNA. Until recently, it was widely believed that RNA could not withstand the test of time.
In 2019, a team successfully sequenced RNA from the preserved skin of a 14,300-year-old wolf found in permafrost. However, the latest research marks the first instance of retrieving RNA from an extinct animal. This breakthrough demonstrates the feasibility of the technique, and now the researchers aim to extract RNA from animals that have been extinct for even longer periods, like the woolly mammoth.
The research team successfully sequenced the RNA of the specimen's skin and skeletal muscle tissues, enabling them to identify genes that are specific to the thylacine. This valuable information is a crucial component of the animal's transcriptome, analogous to the genetic information stored in DNA, known as the genome.
DNA is frequently referred to as a life's instructional handbook, which is present in every cell of the body. Alongside various cellular processes, RNA plays a crucial role in protein synthesis through a transcription process, where it duplicates a specific segment of DNA.
Reconstruction of the Iceman by Alfons & Adrie Kennis.
South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/Ochsenreiter
New DNA analysis unveils the true appearance of Ötzi the Iceman. According to Mármol Sánchez, understanding RNA provides a more comprehensive understanding of an animal's biology. He compares DNA to a recipe book for a city's restaurants, while RNA enables each restaurant to create unique dishes from that common reference.
"If you solely concentrate on the DNA, you will not be capable of discerning variations among these restaurants," Mármol Sánchez asserted. "However, by employing RNA … you can now visit the restaurant and savor the food, whether it's paella, sushi, or sandwiches."
"By delving into those recipes," he further elucidated, "you can acquire substantial knowledge. Nevertheless, you will overlook the genuine essence of metabolism and biology that interconnect all these restaurants or cells."
