Star Chris Hemsworth’s bold goal to bring Tassie tiger back to life
Aussie film star Chris Hemsworth has overcome mighty challenges as God of Thunder Thor, but bringing the extinct Tasmanian tiger back to life is one mission that might just turn from fiction into fact
READING LEVEL: ORANGE
Aussie movie star Chris Hemsworth, who plays the God of Thunder in the Marvel movies, together with brothers Luke and Liam, has backed a company that has invested in a project to revive the thylacine*.
The Tasmanian tiger has been extinct* for almost a century, but Melbourne University’s Professor Andrew Pask and his researchers believe they can rebuild the animal.
Texas-based genetic* engineering company Colossal* Biosciences* is backing the “de-extinction” project which could help halve the expected 10-year target for a thylacine to be alive again.
Colossal last year announced plans to de-extinct the woolly mammoth and the thylacine is its second project.
The Hemsworth brothers are among Colossal’s investors.
“Our family remains dedicated to supporting conservationist* efforts around the world and protecting Australia’s biodiversity* is a high priority,’’ Chris Hemsworth said.
“The Tassie tiger’s extinction had a devastating effect on our ecosystem* and we are thrilled to support the revolutionary* conservation efforts that are being made by Dr Pask and the entire Colossal team.”
Professor Pask, from the university’s School of BioSciences, said Colossal’s input would supercharge the project, which has echoes of Jurassic Park.
“Colossal has this incredible, next-generation DNA* editing at their genetic engineering site,” Prof Pask said.
“It’s really where they’ve pioneered* this entire space. So having access to that team of people and that skill set is absolutely phenomenal.
“We’ve got the best (possible) team in the world on board trying to work now bringing the thylacine back.’’
Announced in March, the plan to “de-extinct” the Tassie tiger aims to have the species back in the wild within 10 years – and opens the door to bringing back other extinct animals.
“It’s been non-stop since that big announcement,’’ Prof Pask said.
An initial $5 million donation from the Wilson Family Trust helped create the TIGRR (Thylacine Integrated Genetic Restoration Research) Lab.
The “de-extinction” process involves using surviving DNA material to make an embryo* which will be transplanted into a uterus* of a surrogate* animal such as a dunnart, a mouse-sized marsupial.
Prof Pask said the Colossal investment meant it might even be possible to grow the embryo in a culture.
His team of 10 will expand at Melbourne, as well as an extra 15 dedicated Colossal researchers in the US.
Colossal co-founder and chief executive Ben Lamm said the Hemsworths and other celebrities and activists were enthusiastic about the de-extinction work.
“The Hemsworth family has done a lot in broader marsupial conservation, and they are leading the charge in returning the Tasmanian devil back to the mainland and creating a population outside of Tasmania,” Mr Lamm said.
Unlike the woolly mammoth work, the genome sequencing* for the thylacine was advanced, he said.
“And gestation* is very different,” Mr Lamm said. “With the mammoth, you’re looking at 22 months of gestation, and with the thylacine, we’re looking at 12 to 14 days, which we can then leverage (in) really quick iterations*.
“It (the thylacine) is really the perfect species for us to work in parallel.
“With our planet’s biodiversity at risk, we will continue to contribute scientific resources to preserving the species and ecosystems necessary to sustain life.”
Prof Pask rejected criticisms that he was “playing God” and that the project was not conserving existing species.
“On the playing God side, I always say we play God all the time; we play God when we wipe them out; we play God when we make vaccines, we’re constantly playing God,” he said.
“So why draw the line in the sand on this when this is actually doing something really good? We’re bringing back this animal to help stabilise that entire ecosystem, and that’s incredibly important.
“Also, we’re developing conservation tools that will be applicable right now, to help save marsupial species from further loss.’’
He also said the investment in the project was not taking conservation money and was adding to funding in animal preservation.
GLOSSARY
- thylacine: Tasmanian tiger
- extinct: no longer exists
- genetic: genes and heredity which are shared and passed down in families
- colossal: extremely large or great, gigantic, massive
- biosciences: life science, science of living organisms like humans, animals, and plants
- conservationist: someone working to protect the environment from damage by people
- biodiversity: variety of life found in a place or often the total variety of life on Earth
- ecosystem: bubble of plants, animals, weather and landscape working together
- revolutionary: something new and exciting, unlike anything existing or done before
- DNA: molecule inside cells containing the genetic information responsible for the development and function of an organism
- pioneered: was among the first to study or develop something
- embryo: very early stage of unborn or unhatched animal developing inside a womb or egg
- uterus: organ in a woman or other female mammal in which a baby develops before birth
- surrogate: a substitute, someone or something used instead of someone or something else
- genome sequencing: sequencing reveals the genetic information in a particular DNA segment
- gestation: length of pregnancy, period of foetal development from conception until birth
- iterations: process of doing something again and again, usually to improve it
EXTRA READING
Tech exists to resurrect Tassie tiger
Cloned Tassie tiger gets closer
Bold plan to bring woolly mammoths back to life
QUICK QUIZ
- How long has the Tasmanian tiger been extinct?
- The thylacine is Colossal’s second project – what is the first?
- What is the gestation period of a thylacine?
- Which animal may be used as a surrogate to develop the thylacine embryo in a uterus?
- The Hemsworth family is “leading the charge” in doing what for another Tasmanian animal?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What causes extinction?
What do you think leads to animals becoming extinct? Create a mind map or write a list of the different things that have happened to make some species extinct. Use your research skills to find more information, if you need it.
Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science
2. Extension
What would happen if scientists could use this technology to bring dinosaurs back to life? Write a story based on this idea.
Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science
VCOP ACTIVITY
Playing god or hero
Make a list of pros and cons when it comes to the concept of bringing animals back from extinction.
Pick which list you feel resonates with you; are you for or against?
Order your list from highest to lowest in relation to the strongest point to the weakest.