Researchers say they have recovered genetic material from the Tasmanian tiger, an Australian animal that has long been extinct. The discovery could help scientists learn more about these creatures before they disappeared from Earth. The recovered material is called ribonucleic acid, or RNA. RNA is a group of molecules present in all living cells that is important for genetic activity. It is similar to DNA, the molecules that contain an organism's genetic instructions. RNA carries genetic information it receives from DNA. RNA combines groups of proteins that organisms require to live and works to control cell metabolism. The researchers said the recovered RNA came from skin and muscle from the remains of a Tasmanian tiger stored since 1891 in a museum in Stockholm, Sweden. Scientists have in recent years taken DNA from different ancient animals and plants. But the team said it was the first time RNA has been recovered from an extinct animal. Scientists believe the Tasmanian tiger once lived on the Australian continent and surrounding islands. It was a top predator at the time, hunting kangaroos and other animals. The last known Tasmanian tiger is believed to have died in a Tasmanian zoo in 1936.
