Tasmanian tiger: Scientists hope to revive marsupial from extinction
圖檔來源，蓋蒂圖檔社 A Tasmanian tiger photographed in Australia's Hobart Zoo (undated)
上圖：在澳洲霍巴特動物園拍攝的塔斯馬尼亞虎（未注明日期）
澳洲和美國的研究人員正在着手一項耗資數百萬美元的項目，以使塔斯馬尼亞虎從滅絕中複活過來。
Researchers in Australia and the US are embarking on a multi-million dollar project to bring the Tasmanian tiger back from extinction.
最後一個已知的，正式稱為袋狼，死于20世紀30年代。
The last known one, officially called a thylacine, died in the 1930s.
競标背後的團隊表示，它可以使用幹細胞和基因編輯技術進行重建，并且第一個袋狼可以在10年内重新引入野外。
The team behind the bid say it can be recreated using stem cells and gene-editing technology, and the first thylacine could be reintroduced to the wild in 10 years' time.
其他專家對此表示懷疑，認為對抗滅絕隻能出現在科幻小說中。
Other experts are sceptical and suggest de-extinction is just science fiction.
袋狼因其背部的條紋而獲得了塔斯馬尼亞虎的綽号-但它實際上是一種有袋動物，一種澳洲哺乳動物，在袋子裡撫養幼崽。
The thylacine earned its nickname of Tasmanian tiger for the stripes along its back - but it was actually a marsupial, the type of Australian mammal that raises its young in a pouch.
上圖：塔斯馬尼亞虎是世界上最大的肉食性有袋動物 圖檔來源，約翰·古爾德
澳洲和美國的科學家小組計劃從具有相似DNA的活有袋動物物種中提取幹細胞，然後使用基因編輯技術“帶回”滅絕的物種 - 或者非常接近它的近似物種。
The group of Australian and US scientists plan to take stem cells from a living marsupial species with similar DNA, and then use gene-editing technology to "bring back" the extinct species - or an extremely close approximation of it.
對于準備嘗試的研究人員來說，這将是一項了不起的成就，并且需要一些科學突破。
It would represent a remarkable achievement for the researchers attempting it, and require a number of scientific breakthroughs.
“我現在相信，在10年後，我們可以擁有第一個活着的袋狼嬰兒，因為它們在近一個世紀前被獵殺滅絕，”墨爾本大學上司這項研究的Andrew Pask教授說。
"I now believe that in 10 years' time we could have our first living baby thylacine since they were hunted to extinction close to a century ago," said Professor Andrew Pask, who is leading the research from the University of Melbourne.
當數萬年前人類到達澳洲時，塔斯馬尼亞虎的數量下降，當dingoes（一種野狗）出現時，塔斯馬尼亞虎的數量再次下降。
The population of Tasmanian tigers declined when humans arrived in Australia tens of thousands of years ago, and again when dingoes - a species of wild dog - appeared.
最終，有袋動物隻在塔斯馬尼亞島上自由生活，最終被獵殺滅絕。
Eventually, the marsupial only roamed free on the island of Tasmania, and was ultimately hunted to extinction.
最後一隻圈養的塔斯馬尼亞虎于1936年在霍巴特動物園死亡。
The last captive Tasmanian tiger died at Hobart Zoo in 1936.
最後一隻圈養的塔斯馬尼亞虎于1936年在霍巴特動物園死亡 圖檔來源，蓋蒂圖檔社
如果科學家成功地複活了這種動物，這将是曆史上第一次“反滅絕”事件，但許多外部專家對其背後的科學持懷疑态度。
If scientists were to succeed in reviving the animal it would mark the first "de-extinction" event in history, but many outside experts are doubtful of the science behind it.
“複活是一門童話般的科學，”澳洲古代DNA中心的副教授Jeremy Austin告訴悉尼先驅晨報，并補充說，該項目“更多地是吸引媒體關注科學，而不是關于做嚴肅的科學”。
"De-extinction is a fairytale science," Associate Professor Jeremy Austin from the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA told the Sydney Morning Herald, adding that the project is "more about media attention for the scientists and less about doing serious science".
複活塔斯馬尼亞虎的想法已經存在了20多年。1999年，澳洲博物館開始實施克隆動物的項目，此後每隔一段時間就進行了各種嘗試，從樣本中提取或重建可行的DNA。
The idea of bringing back the Tasmanian tiger has been around for more than 20 years. In 1999, the Australian Museum started to pursue a project to clone the animal, and various attempts have been made at intervals ever since to extract or rebuild viable DNA from samples.
這個新項目是墨爾本大學和德克薩斯州公司Colossal的科學家之間的合作項目。
This latest project is a partnership between scientists at the University of Melbourne and Texas-based company Colossal.
這家美國公司去年成為新聞頭條，計劃使用類似的基因編輯技術使猛犸象複活 - 這是一項尚未實作的技術壯舉。
The US firm made headlines last year with its plans to use similar gene editing technology to bring the woolly mammoth back to life - a technological feat yet to be pulled off.
塔斯馬尼亞虎是人類的警示故事 圖檔來源，約翰·古爾德
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