Scientists Recover Extinct Tasmanian Tiger's RNA, Revolutionizing Genetic Studies

• Scientists in Sweden recovered RNA from a 130-year-old extinct Tasmanian tiger, a first for an extinct species.
• This breakthrough allows studying active genes, tissue function, and physiology, providing deeper biological insights than DNA alone.
• The study disproves the belief that RNA vanishes quickly, showing it can be preserved for over a century in museum specimens.
• RNA analysis improved the thylacine's genome map, identified microRNAs, and even hinted at ancient viral history.
• This opens "paleotranscriptomics," turning museum specimens into molecular time capsules for understanding extinct life.

Why It Matters: Recovering RNA from extinct species offers unprecedented insights into their biology and evolution.