Nearly 90   yr after the last thylacine die , a radical of scientist at the University of Melbourne , Australia , are set about to bring the extinct   marsupial back to life

Thylacinus cynocephalus , also love as Tasmanian tigers   ( despite being a pouched mammal and await nothing like a tiger apart from   their stripy back ) , are thought to have   operate out back in 1936 , when Benjamin – the last confirmed extremity of the species – fail in captivity at Hobart ’s Beaumaris Zoo .

Reports of thylacine sightings in the wild extend long after Benjamin pass away , with many people bright that they mightstill be aliveout there somewhere ( unknown things have happened;this giant tortoisewas rediscovered ambling on an island in the Galapagos in 2019 , 113 age after it had last been sighted ) .

In September 2019 ,   Tasmania ’s Department of Primary Industries , Parks , Water , and Environmentreleased a documentof eight possible ( but unverified ) sightings over the previous three year . TheThylacine Awareness Groupeven believes the beast still roams around mainland Australia .

However , only occasionalgrainy footagehas thus far been offer as evidence . One study in 2017 put the odds of the animal still surviving at1.6 trillion to one , whileanother in 2018 disagreedwith the maths but still came down on the side that it was in all likelihood out , though " there is enough incertitude to at least pass on this undefendable as a slender possibility . "

Despite stay in Tasmania until the 1930s , the species is believed to have been wiped out from mainland Australiaaround 3,000 years ago .

scientist have sincesequenced   the genomeof the brute – and with this , the team at Melbourne is hoping to " de - nonextant " them . The lab hasreceived a $ 5 million philanthropic giftto help them on their quest .

“ Thanks to this generous funding we ’re at a turn point where we can make grow the engineering science to potentially bring back a species from extinction and avail safeguard other marsupials on the brink of vanish , ” Professor Pask , from the School of BioSciences at the University of Melbournesaid in a press release .

“ Our enquiry aim nine key footstep to First State - extinguishing of the Thylacinus cynocephalus . One of our bounteous discovery was sequence the thylacine genome , providing a complete blueprint on how to essentially build a thylacine . ”

“ The funding will allow our lab to move forrard and focalise on three key areas : improving our understanding of the thylacine genome ; developing techniques to use marsupial prow mobile phone to make an embryo ; and then successfully transport the embryo into a server surrogate womb , such as a dunnart or Tasmanian fiend . "

The team believes that the reintroduction of the species would be good not just for the rise species itself , but for total ecosystem .

“ Of all the species propose for First State - quenching , the Thylacinus cynocephalus has arguably the most compelling case , " Pask added . " The Tasmanian home ground has remain largely unchanged , render the stark surroundings to re - put in the thylacine and it is very probable its reintroduction would be good for the whole ecosystem . "