Mysterious thylacine: coming out of the shadow of extinction?
The latest research breaks through the conventions of the scientific community, according to CCTV, a paper published by the journal "Genome Research" revealed an unprecedented discovery: the Stockholm University team successfully isolated RNA from a Tasmanian tiger specimen for the first time, which is hailed as a major breakthrough in the first human RNA acquisition in an extinct species. This initiative means that scientists may be able to move towards the goal of "resurrecting" extinct species.
Tasmanian tigers, which once roamed the eucalyptus forests, wetlands and grasslands of Australia and New Guinea, were on the verge of extinction in the 30s due to overhunting by humans. This unique creature with tiger stripes, a strong body structure and a canine-like skull, has been lost in history. However, an article published in the journal Life Science has garnered widespread attention, revealing a series of mysterious "thylacine" sightings.
According to statistics, a total of 1,237 thylacine sightings have been recorded in Tasmania since 1910. In the 63 years between 1936 and 1998, the Department of Land Conservation and Management received 203 reports of thylacine sightings in Western Australia. Although there is no direct evidence that these sightings were thylacines, scientists have studied them in depth and have come up with a bold guess: thylacines may still be alive and well somewhere after the official extinction date.
However, there are also doubts about this speculation. They noted that since the thylacine was declared extinct, no new thylacine remains have been found. At the same time, thylacines are similar in size to dingoes, so many of the so-called "thylacine" sightings may simply be mistaken for dingoes.
It is undeniable that the extinction of the thylacine is a tragedy of human overhunting. Since European colonists landed in Australia in the 18th century, thylacines have been mistaken for sheep killers, and the government has mass-murdered the species through bounty orders. The article mentions calls for the preservation of genetic diversity and habitats of species, emphasizing the rejection of invasive species to avoid a similar tragedy repeatedly.
Although scientists are conducting in-depth research on whether the thylacine is alive, even if the thylacine exists in a hidden corner, or if scientists succeed in "resurrecting" the thylacine in the future, the expansion of its population still faces great challenges, because population expansion requires genetic diversity. This discovery not only raises concerns about the fate of thylacines, but also raises deep reflections on the impact of human activities on the natural world.
In this mysterious thylacine story, the efforts of scientists may be able to shed light on the extinction and provide new clues to our re-understanding of this mysterious creature that once roamed the land. Is the thylacine really extinct? Perhaps the answer lies in the mysterious sightings.