https://gizmodo.com.au/2024/05/what-it-will-take-to-create-21st-century-mammoths-dodos-and-thylacines/

Colossal Biosciences has generated a flurry of headlines in recent years, as the ‘de-extinction’ company announced plans to resurrect the woolly mammoth, the Tasmanian tiger, and, most recently, the dodo bird, developing a bioengineering toolkit along the way that has prompted investment from outfits like In-Q-Tel, a CIA-funded venture capital firm. Colossal has also acquired a stellar lineup of geneticists, including leading paleogeneticist Beth Shapiro, to help it in its quest to see these proxies of extinct species walk the Earth.

https://www.examiner.com.au/story/8613243/tasmanian-tiger-is-that-you-new-evidence-photos-presented/

*Paywall

https://gizmodo.com/beth-shapiro-colossal-biosciences-deextinction-dna-1851401139

Colossal Biosciences has generated a flurry of headlines in recent years, as the ‘de-extinction’ company announced plans to resurrect the woolly mammoth, the Tasmanian tiger, and, most recently, the dodo bird, developing a bioengineering toolkit along the way that has prompted investment from outfits like In-Q-Tel, a CIA-funded venture capital firm. Colossal has also acquired a stellar lineup of geneticists, including leading paleogeneticist Beth Shapiro, to help it in its quest to see these proxies of extinct species walk the Earth.

Last month, Shapiro—author of How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction (2015) and Life As We Made It (2021)—leveled up her involvement with the company from an advisory capacity to its chief science officer.

While an exact version of an extinct animal cannot be created, scientists hope they can (to paraphrase the line from Moneyball) recreate the creatures in the aggregate. That means endowing Asian elephants with the long hair and cold resistance of a mammoth and making facsimile dodos spring forth from chicken eggs. Just last month, Colossal said it had engineered elephant stem cells that can be converted into an embryonic state, a big step toward its beyond-elephantine goal. In April, the company said it would give $7.5 million in 2024 to academic institutions undertaking ancient DNA research.

Shapiro recently spoke with Gizmodo about Colossal’s goals and her new role at the company. Below is our conversation, lightly edited for clarity.

https://www.newser.com/story/349073/scientists-attempt-to-pull-a-jurassic-park-on-extinct-animal.html

Australia's thylacine, better known as the Tasmanian tiger, was deemed extinct in 1986, 50 years after the last known living one died in captivity. But the animal means so much to locals that people still spend significant time and money searching for them in the wild. And while there have been thousands of reported sightings, CBS News reports there has been no official confirmation that they are still out there. While these dedicated enthusiasts remain committed to monitoring field cameras and going on expeditions, scientists have another tactic in mind: pulling a Jurassic Park on thylacine by editing the DNA of its closest living relative to birth a new one.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/reports-of-tasmanian-tiger-sightings-as-aussies-search-for-extinct-thylacine-60-minutes-transcript/

There's the Loch Ness monster in Scotland. And in the Himalayas, there's the yeti, the Abominable Snowman. In Tasmania—a teardrop of an island under the eye of the Australian mainland—there's the thylacine… a creature that brings out folklore... and folks armed with grainy images, convinced they've seen the thing. But unlike other mythical creatures, the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, actually—indisputably— existed, an apex predator the size of a small wolf, roamed the island as recently as last century. which gives hope to so many obsessives, dreamers and true believers, looking for the Tasmanian tiger in the bush… and, as you'll see, in the lab. This is a story that says as much about human nature as it does nature nature. Further proof that—even in the face of science and logic—passion survives in the wild just fine.

Jon Wertheim: You've been doing this how many years now?

Adrian Richardson: I've been doing this for over 30 years, and (beeping) every day's an adventure.

Jon Wertheim: All right, here we go.

Getting there wasn't easy. But Adrian "Richo" Richardson—a retired military man turned self-declared tiger seeker—retraced his steps. tramping around the dense outback of Tasmania on Jan. 28, 2017, 12:45 p.m., he heard the sound…

The last known captive thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) died in Hobart’s Beaumaris Zoo in 1936 and the species has since become an icon of extinction. In the 21st century, there is considerable interest in documenting, analysing, and rediscovering thylacine specimens in museum collections. Due to their age, location, and collecting practices, the teaching collections of Australia’s oldest universities are a potential source of undocumented thylacine specimens. Within three departmental museum collections, the University of Melbourne holds five thylacine skulls. The skulls were visually inspected, measured, sexed, and described in detail for the first time. Archival research was undertaken to determine provenance and historical details. The five skulls were added to the University’s collections between 1893 and 1932. They are derived from four adult males and one adult female. Specific locality data are available for three skulls, collected at Lake Saint Clair, south of Cressy, and Woolnorth. Holding five skulls, University of Melbourne’s collection constitutes one of the top ten largest thylacine assemblages in Australasia, and the second largest held by an Australasian university

https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-tech/the-race-to-resurrect-the-dodo/

A U.S. bioengineering company wants to genetically re-create the dodo, the woolly mammoth and the Tasmanian tiger. The chief scientist behind these “de-extinction” efforts says bringing back lost species can help protect those that are endangered.

https://www.statnews.com/2024/04/04/de-extinction-woolly-mammoths-biologist-beth-shapiro/

Humans have long tinkered with the evolutionary trajectories of other species. Thousands of years ago we tamed wolves into dogs and transformed a wild grass into the agricultural wonder wheat. Within the past few centuries, we exterminated the Tasmanian tiger and doomed the dodo bird to oblivion. Now, we stand on the brink of an ambitious new era in how humans may transfigure life around us: by pursuing the science of de-extinction, or the resurrection of species once lost to this world.

Beth Shapiro is an evolutionary biologist, an ancient DNA adventurer who has collected fossilized bison bones from Arctic permafrost, and a titan in the de-extinction movement. She co-led the Paleogenomics Lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz, was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and a MacArthur Fellow, and is the author of the books “How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction” and “Life as We Made It: How 50,000 Years of Human Innovation Refined—and Redefined—Nature.” In 2022 she announced that her team sequenced the genome of the dodo bird.  

Recently, Shapiro was named chief scientific officer of Colossal Biosciences, a biotech company with its sights set on bringing back such fallen fauna as the woolly mammoth, dodo bird and Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine. Shapiro spoke with STAT about CRISPR, conservation, and her recent move from academia to biotech. She also discussed how the scientific journey to reviving extinct species may provide insight into better protecting and preserving ecosystems in the present day. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.  

https://pulsetasmania.com.au/news/hollywood-actor-leonardo-dicaprio-trying-to-revive-extinct-tasmanian-tiger/

Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio has jumped behind efforts to resurrect the extinct Tasmanian Tiger.

DiCaprio’s organisation Re:Wild has partnered with Dallas-based Colossal Biosciences in developing de-extinction technology to bring back the Tasmanian Tiger, along with the Dodo and Woolly Mammoth.

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The partnership aims to “accelerate efforts” to save animals on the brink of extinction, search for lost species, and restore key habitats for species recovery and re-wilding.

Colossal Biosciences plan to de-extinct the thylacine using gene-editing technology to reverse environmental impacts caused by its extinction.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240328647593/en/Rewild-and-Colossal-Biosciences-team-up-to-leverage-revolutionary-technology-to-save-critically-endangered-species-on-the-brink-of-extinction

Re:wild and Colossal Biosciences team up to leverage revolutionary technology to save critically endangered species on the brink of extinction

With their combined expertise in biotech, innovation and conservation, the partners will accelerate efforts to prevent extinction, recover and strengthen wildlife populations, and restore ecosystems

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March 28, 2024 04:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Re:wild and Colossal Biosciences are celebrating a new, powerful partnership that aims to accelerate global efforts to save species on the brink of extinction, search for lost species, and restore key habitats for species recovery and rewilding.

https://dallasinnovates.com/colossal-biosciences-adds-renowned-ancient-dna-expert-as-chief-science-officer/

Renowned evolutionary molecular biologist and ancient DNA expert Beth Shapiro, Ph.D., has joined Colossal Biosciences as chief science officer.

Dallas-based Colossal said that in her new role, Shapiro will oversee continued expansion of the company’s de-extinction and conservation science teams.

“Beth and I have developed an incredible relationship over the past few years. I’m extremely impressed by her intellect, drive, and the rigor of her scientific research,” Colossal Co-Founder and CEO Ben Lamm said in a statement. “I know she will continue to push our scientific research programs further and is the best fit for the role. It’s a dream to work so closely with Beth, and I know our species leads feel the same.”

The company said that Shapiro leaves her roles as Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and lead of the Paleogenomics Lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz, effective March 15th.

“I’ve been an advisor to Colossal since just after the company launched, and am excited now to step in full-time to support the team’s groundbreaking work,” Shapiro said in a statement. “It’s thrilling to see the research we’ve been doing in the labs not only seeing the light of day, but being applied to science that will positively impact the planet.”

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21594937.2024.2323412

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https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2024/03/17/woolly-mammoth-startup-in-james-reed-documentary.html

The director of the Oscar-winning Netflix documentary “My Octopus Teacher" will focus on a local company working to bring back and "re-wild" extinct species such as the woolly mammoth, the thylacine and dodo bird.

https://digitalchew.com/2024/03/11/biotech-company-colossal-unveils-mammoth-task-producing-first-elephant-stem-cells/

Key Takeaways:
– Biotech company Colossal aims to revive extinct species like the thylacine, dodo, and mammoth using DNA editing and stem cells.
– Colossal now announces the production of the first elephant stem cells, a significant but challenging step towards their end goal.
– Ethical, conservation, and practical hurdles are to be surmounted before Colossal’s ambitious de-extinction project can fully proceed.

Biotech Pioneer Revolutionizes De-Extinction Efforts

Science fiction is turning into fact as Colossal, a biotech giant, takes on the visionary project of reviving extinct species. Through the use of DNA editing and stem-cell technology, the company plans to bring back creatures such as the thylacine, dodo, and the mammoth, species that have been extinct for thousands of years.

Aiming for Colossal Matters

The company’s most compelling and ambitious target is to bring back the mammoth, an animal that hasn’t roamed the northern hemisphere for thousands of years. This plan is dictated by several issues. These issues range from ethical to conservation concerns and will need careful consideration before the project can proceed with full momentum.

Producing Elephant Stem Cells: A Major Leap

Although several hurdles are still to be crossed, the company has overcome a big one – the production of the first elephant stem cells. This accomplishment is crucial because elephants are the closest living relatives of mammoths, providing a vital link in the overall revival process.

This milestone, however, did not come easy. The company struggled with the extremely slow and unique reproductive biology of elephants, making the overall process fairly challenging. It seems that more tough tasks lie ahead for the company in their mission to resurrect extinct species.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10371397.2024.2307580?src=exp-la

This is a comparative, cross-cultural, and multi-disciplinary study of two extinct animals, the Tasmanian tiger in Australia and the Hokkaido wolf in Japan, and their ongoing cultural ‘presence’. The thylacine was last documented in captivity in 1936, and the Hokkaido wolf became extinct around 1900. Both faced rapid extinction due to anthropogenic factors associated with colonisation and modernisation, including eradication policies. Nonetheless, both animals have ongoing cultural and conservation significance. In Australia, the thylacine has become a symbol of redemption and conservation advocated for by devoted citizens who do not believe the animal is extinct. In Japan, the story of the Hokkaido wolf has been kept alive by Tezuka Osamu, a legendary manga/anime artist. Tezuka’s life project was to change anthropocentric human-nature relationships through his work. These two animals have significant ongoing implications for conservation and sustainability. The Tasmanian tiger offers a new approach to conservation through the pursuit of ‘Lazarus species’. The Hokkaido wolf provides an alternative ontology useful for rethinking human-nature relationships. Both point to the significant roles that different worldviews and emotional commitments can play for sustainable futures. They present new possibilities for reimagining extinction in the Anthropocene, showing that even extinct animals can give us hope.

https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/sci/tasmanian-tiger-extinction.html

Given current scientific advancements in the field of medicine and bioengineering, it’s only a matter of time before the premise of 1993’s Jurassic Park becomes a reality. Well, it seems we’re one step closer to that happening because scientists are now discussing bringing the Tasmanian tiger (Thylacine) back from extinction. Not a bad starting point.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animals/can-the-tasmanian-tiger-come-back-from-extinction/

In an attempt to reverse extinction, scientists have embarked on an ambitious project to bring back the Tasmanian Tiger, which vanished from the wild in 1936. Spearheading this revolutionary effort is Andrew Pask, a marsupial evolutionary biologist professor at the University of Melbourne, who heads the Thylacine Integrated Genetic Restoration Research (TIGRR) project.

The catalyst for this venture was a generous $5 million grant from the Wilson Family Trust, spurred by the interest of Russell Wilson, the trust’s head, who became captivated by Pask’s research after watching his YouTube videos. Pask’s journey toward de-extinction began with a meticulous examination of intact museum specimens, revealing surprisingly well-preserved genomes. His work culminated in 2005 when he successfully revived the function of a single Tasmanian tiger gene in a mouse embryo, marking the first milestone in genetic restoration.

Speaking about his pioneering efforts, Pask emphasized his commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology. He highlighted the confluence of advancements in DNA sequencing, stem cell biology, and gene editing techniques, which now render a project of this magnitude feasible. Central to the mission is the restoration of balance to Tasmania’s fragile ecosystem. The Tasmanian Tiger, as the apex predator, played a crucial role in controlling population dynamics and curbing the spread of diseases among other species.

However, the endeavor goes beyond mere revival. Ben Lamm, founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, a key collaborator in the project, envisions a future where innovative gestational technologies and marsupial-focused Conservation efforts safeguard the resurrected species.

where in tasmania would you find a thylacine before they went extinct was it all over north east south west ?

https://www.aol.com/last-known-footage-living-thylacine-171900902.html

• Rare black-and-white footage of the now extinct thylacine has reemerged.
• The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) rediscovered the footage—which is part of a forgotten travelogue from the mid 1930s—and digitized it in 4K.
• According to the NFSA, the film represents “the preservation of the last-known surviving moving images of Australia’s most famous extinct predator.”

Has anyone seen the new Forrest Galante Thylacine episode on YouTube? He is convinced that there are thylacines in a remote part of West Papua and details the evidence in his video.

Thoughts?

https://deadline.com/2024/02/wooly-mammoth-de-extinction-company-colossal-biosciences-docuseries-ep-james-reed-1235832609/

Colossal Biosciences, the company bringing wooly mammoths and other extinct species back to life, and production partner Teton Ridge Entertainment are teaming with acclaimed filmmaker James Reed on a multiyear docuseries.

Reed – the Oscar-winning director of My Octopus Teacher – and producing partner Matt Houghton will executive produce the de-extinction series through Reed’s Underdog Films banner. Jillian Share for Teton Ridge Entertainment and Michael Dougherty are also on board as executive producers. Filmmaker Sophie Todd (Formula 1 – Drive To Survive) has joined the project as showrunner.

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/hobart-sundays/not-natural-exhibition-thylacine-dna-locket/103481704

Artist Emma Bugg's latest creation is a conversation starter on a controversial topic; thylacine de-extinction.

The thylacine DNA locket is part of an exhibition called Not Natural, at the Science Gallery Melbourne in Parkville. 

It is on display now until June 2024.

"My idea with the locket is to take a really big idea and sort of detonate it," Ms Bugg said.

"And provoke conversation, thoughts and ideas about this topic."

The thylacine skin and follicle used in Ms Bugg's piece is approximately 3mm long. Ms Bugg said handling the samples was a "mythological" experience.

The artist spoke with ABC's Lucie Cutting about the locket and what the process has meant in terms of her own opinion on thylacine de-extinction.

https://dallasinnovates.com/hollywood-brand-veteran-takes-cmo-helm-at-colossal-biosciences-to-bring-de-extinction-to-the-global-stage/

Veteran marketing executive Emily Castel has joined Colossal Bioscience, the world’s first de-extinction company, as its first chief marketing officer, bringing her global entertainment and consumer brand experience to Colossal where she will lead global efforts to scale the company’s brand, experiences, consumer products, and emerging media properties.

https://www.ladbible.com/news/animals/tasmanian-tiger-research-extinct-science-thylacine-186779-20240203

Andrew Pask is a marsupial evolutionary biologist professor at University of Melbourne and headed up the Thylacine Integrated Genetic Restoration Research (TIGRR).

Dr Pask received a whopping $5million (£2,581,500) from the Wilson Family Trust after Russell Wilson - head of the trust - became deeply invested in Pask's research after watching his YouTube videos.

The scientist began exploring the possibility of de-extinction by first observing how intact museum specimen’s genomes were and, to his delight, found they were in ‘great shape’.

This led to him resurrecting the function of a single Tasmanian tiger gene in a mouse embryo in 2005.

Previously speaking with LADbible, he said: “It was the first time anything like this had been done - so I have always been driven by the technology to push what we can do.

https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/a-biobank-freezes-australian-species-for-the-future

Australia is home to some of the most remarkable species on earth and importantly, many of these species don’t exist anywhere else.

Unfortunately, Australia also holds the record for the most mammal extinctions and many of our animal species are suffering increasing pressures from introduced species, habitat loss, and climate change.

https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2024/01/is-the-truth-still-out-there/

In the autumn of 1982, Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) ranger Hans Naarding was birdwatching near Togari in the state’s far north-west.

After a tiring day in the field, he parked his LandCruiser near a crossroads to sleep. At about 2am, with rain thrumming on the thickly forested landscape, something woke him, and he pointed his torch out into the night.

“When I opened the window, the rain just poured in, and I shone the spotlight around at the end of the [torch] beam. Sure enough, it was a thylacine, right in front of the car, ” Hans told The Mercury newspaper, many years later.

Hans’s camera was out of reach, so he instead focused his efforts – and channelled his many years of experience observing wildlife in Africa and Australia – on mentally documenting the encounter, which lasted for about three minutes. He described a full-grown male, 6–7m from the vehicle, which for a period even held his gaze before it slipped off into the inky blackness.

“He was sopping wet…I estimated his weight, counted his stripes on his back, and I could see it was a very healthy male,” Hans recounted to the newspaper.

Given his extensive wildlife experience and expertise as a ranger, his sighting is regarded as one of the most credible of the past 40 years, with the then director of the PWS, Peter Murrell, describing it as “irrefutable and conclusive”.

It would lead to a year-long, but ultimately fruitless, search by PWS rangers in the region for any further hints of the presence of the marsupial carnivore.

“This was someone who knew Tasmanian wildlife and was unlikely to have made an error,” says Barry Brook, professor of environmental sustainability at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) in Hobart. “So no-one ever really knew what to make of that sighting.”

While Hans’s account seemed highly credible, the popular consensus on the topic of the Tasmanian tiger has been that it went extinct in the wild at some point in the decades following the demise of the last captive individual at Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart on 7 September 1936.

That date is when we observe Threatened Species Day in Australia, and the thylacine was officially declared extinct by the IUCN 50 years later, in 1986.

https://irshadgul.com/colossal-is-published-by-the-tasmanian-thylacine-advisory-board-ig-news/

As the company moves forward to bring the Thylacine back to Tasmania, the TTA will play an important role in community coordination and engagement.

DALLAS & HOBART, Australia–( BUSINESS WIRE )–Colossal Biosciences, a groundbreaking genetic engineering and de-extinction company, is pleased to announce the formation of the Tasmania Thylacine Advisory Board. Chaired by Tasmanian Mayor Michele Dracoulis, this committee will be the key public body to discuss, develop and disseminate plans related to thylacine recovery. Commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger, the slender striped species was a keystone native to Australia, including Tasmania and New Guinea. Last year, Colossal announced plans to eradicate and return the Thylacina to its native habitat in collaboration with local government, indigenous representatives, industry leaders, private landowners, university representatives and the general public.