Originally posted by shahenshahTigers and wolves are quite different from Tasmanian tigers, genetically. They just look alike because they fit in a similar niche in their habitat, but evolved seperately. So I very much doubt it would work, even in the highly unlikely case that the correct DNA sequence would be found.
If you could get a workable piece of DNA, couldn't we use an ordinary tiger or wolf's womb?
I imagine some DNA, especially of the Mammoths would be available from the frozen Artics. I remember reading a newspaper article of a baby mammoth found frozen in the ice.
I wouldn't say that it's fundamentally impossible, though. And I'm not a biologist, so...
Originally posted by KazetNagorraI understand they are trying to do something like that but from a modern perspective, that is to say, taking modern DNA like in a chicken and inserting changes to slowly bring back the original DNA of the chicken, which is a dinosaur. I think the real work is being done on elephants to bring back the Mastodon but the theory would be the same.
Tigers and wolves are quite different from Tasmanian tigers, genetically. They just look alike because they fit in a similar niche in their habitat, but evolved seperately. So I very much doubt it would work, even in the highly unlikely case that the correct DNA sequence would be found.
I wouldn't say that it's fundamentally impossible, though. And I'm not a biologist, so...
To : KazetNagorra.
I read in Wiki that the nearest species to a Tasmanian Tiger is the Tasmanian Devil and the Numbat. Possibly these would serve as a embryo carrier /incubation chamber /womb.
To: Twhitehead
It would be good to resurrect extinct species as
1) it is part of our heritage... for our children to see
2) we are all linked somehow. If the top predator of a food-chain goes extinct there are bound to be repercussions to the environment and to us.
3) Efforts are going on to conserve existing species but just because there is a lack of funding doesn't mean we have to do away with preservation of extinct or dying species. There are alternative solutions.
4) The Tasmanian devils population was estimated at 20,000 - 40,000 in 2006 but now they are dying out due to an infectious cancer which has a 90-100% fatality rate. The genome of a pair was recently documented. The spin-offs may help to fight cancer in humans too. Check out this site....
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20110630/Genes-in-Tasmanian-Devil-give-new-hope-to-children-with-cancer.aspx
Originally posted by shahenshahI am well aware that it is good to resurrect extinct species (and preserve existing ones), I was just pointing out that if we cant find funding to protect what we have, who is going to provide funding for resurrecting what we have already lost?
To: Twhitehead
It would be good to resurrect extinct species as
Originally posted by shahenshahDNA does degrade, like everything else, so it would have to be a very well preserved sample.
Is it actually possible to use DNA from fossil / remains of extinct species such as the Tasmanian Tiger (/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thylacine) or the Mammoth and regenerate the animal?
When they can clone sheep, why hasn't someone tried this?
In order to clone something, you would need the entire DNA sequence intact.