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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →No thylacine has been revived, and the reported discoveries do not show that one is close to being born. They are distinct milestones: a 2023 study recovered gene-expression information from preserved tissue, while a 2024 project update described a reconstructed genome, edited cells from a living marsupial, and reproductive research. Together, they advance a proposed de-extinction effort—but they are not a resurrection.
What did scientists discover?
The thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger, is extinct. Two developments often grouped under “groundbreaking genetic discovery” are different kinds of work, with different results and evidence.
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| Development | Method and direct result | Evidence status | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 RNA study | Sequenced RNA from preserved muscle and skin, producing historical gene-expression profiles and improving genome annotations. | Peer-reviewed paper in Genome Research. | A living cell, embryo, clone, or revived animal. |
| 2024 project update | Reported a reconstructed genome, genetic edits in fat-tailed dunnart cells, and progress with marsupial reproductive techniques. | University of Melbourne institutional announcement describing project milestones. | A viable thylacine embryo or an animal born through the project. |
What the 2023 RNA study found
In a paper published in Genome Research in August 2023, after appearing online on 18 July, Emilio Mármol-Sánchez and colleagues analyzed RNA from muscle and skin in a thylacine specimen preserved by desiccation at room temperature. The specimen was approximately 130 years old. RNA can preserve clues about which genes were active in a tissue, so the team could identify expression patterns and signals consistent with tissue features such as slow muscle fibers and blood infiltration. Read the paper in Genome Research.
The paper reports about 0.2 million muscle RNA reads and about 0.4 million skin RNA reads mapping to protein-coding genes. Those are mapped reads, not the total reads sequenced. The RNA evidence also helped refine protein-coding and noncoding genome annotations, identify missing exonic loci and ribosomal RNA gene locations, and increase the number of annotated thylacine microRNAs from 62 to 325. The researchers also reported a thylacine-specific microRNA isoform and traces of RNA viruses, which may help inform research on viral evolution.
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This kind of work is called paleotranscriptomics: studying RNA and gene activity in historical biological material. RNA is not DNA, and recovering gene-expression information does not recover an intact living cell or provide a cloning recipe.
What the 2024 genome and cell-editing update reported
On 17 October 2024, the University of Melbourne said its TIGRR Lab, led by Professor Andrew Pask and partnered with Colossal since 2022, had helped reconstruct a thylacine genome. The project team estimated its accuracy at more than 99.9%. The university also reported that more than 300 genetic markers had been edited into fat-tailed dunnart cells. These are project-reported estimates and cell-engineering milestones—not independent demonstrations of a completed animal. Read the University of Melbourne announcement.
The same announcement described work on marsupial assisted reproduction: inducing ovulation in a dunnart and culturing fertilized, single-cell embryos more than halfway through pregnancy in an artificial-uterus device. It did not report a viable thylacine embryo. Pask said the reproductive advances could be applied across the marsupial family tree; that is a statement about potential applications, not proof of a thylacine birth.
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How the proposed revival could work—and what remains
The fat-tailed dunnart is a living marsupial used as a cell model and proposed host in the project strategy. Nature describes it as the thylacine’s closest living relative. It is not a thylacine, and the proposed goal is not simply to have a dunnart give birth to an unchanged copy. Nature’s 2024 profile explains the project.
A reconstructed genome is a starting point. Turning ancient genetic information into a living animal would require advances in computational biology, cellular and genetic engineering, embryology, and animal husbandry, according to a 2025 Nature Biotechnology discussion of de-extinction. Even if the effort succeeds, the result would be a genetically engineered proxy shaped by genetic and environmental traits from living relatives—not an identical return of the extinct species. Read the Nature Biotechnology discussion.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Has a thylacine been revived, or is there a return date?
No. The cited announcements and papers provide no evidence that a thylacine has been born, and no guaranteed return date. The 2023 paper studied historical RNA; the 2024 update reported genome, cell-editing, and reproductive-technology progress. Neither is evidence of a living thylacine.
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Colossal presents the work as a de-extinction project, so claims about its goals and progress should be understood as the company’s framing alongside the university’s project reporting. See Colossal’s thylacine project description.
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