For The First Time, Researchers Decoded the RNA Of an Extinct Animal

 For The First Time, Researchers Decoded the RNA Of an Extinct Animal

For the first time, researchers decoded the RNA of an extinct animal (sciencenews.org)

10 Facts About the Tasmanian Tiger (thoughtco.com)

    

The article discusses an animal known Tasman tiger that became extinct in 1936. The last Tasman tiger died in a zoo in Hobart, Tasmania. This extinct animal had stripes like a tiger from its shoulder to its tail with the facial structure of a wolf. A bounty was put in place to hunt these animals to extinction in the 19th century. The importance of decoding the RNA was to uncover how the tiger's cells functioned which was said by Emilio Marmol-Sanchez. Six small samples of the muscle and skin were collected from the tiger where each sample was made/ into powder and researchers added chemicals to be able to separate the nucleotides. Researchers gathered different protein-coding RNA molecules in the skin and muscles of the tiger. 250 thylacine micro RNAs were found that controlled how the cells moved. I found this article interesting because this was my first time hearing of a Tasman tiger. The scientists even tried to modify the genes of the fat-tailed dunnart to try to attempt de-extinct the organism using the Tasmans closest relative..

Tasmanian tigers were in 'bad genetic shape' long before extinction, DNA analysis shows

Tasmanian Tigers were in poor genetic long before human drove them into extinction. A new DNA study  shows how and why. Biologist began by starting with the source, the genetic history the Tasmanian tiger. The biologist then extracted and analyzed the DNA of a pup that has been perceived for more than  a  century. The genome reported as one of the DNA of any extinct animal. It was not easy for the biologist to piece this together for DNA has a habit for falling apart.  

The preserved DNA of the pup  was stored in ethanol reasons why it did not degrade as much as other preserving fluids. From the analysis  of the genome it showed that even before  the human arrived  there was  lack of variation in the genetic  of those Tasmanian tigers. When it comes to evolution genetic variation and diversity plays a very important role in a specie;s survival Since there was a lack of variation the tigers declined in their history.  I found this article very interesting because I learned and always heard about how the lack of genetic variation leads to extinction but after reading this article I now have evidence that it is true, you need to be in a good genetic shape to evolve not go into a demography of an extinct animal.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-12-12/thylacine-tasmanian-tiger-genetics-evolution/9246832

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-017-0417-y/figures/1