I accept that the evidence of sightings is weak like the bigfoot evidence, but the one enormous difference is that Tasmanian tigers are not imaginary.

True, that. But then there’s always Champ and Nessie…

I accept that the evidence of sightings is weak like the bigfoot evidence, but the one enormous difference is that Tasmanian tigers are not imaginary.

There have been many reported sightings of thylacines, most of which are unreliable, but a couple are quite convincing descriptions of possible thylacines in the wild. The most recent credible sighting was in 1997, and more recently some alleged photos were taken which are unconvincing. If you’ve ever been to Tasmania, you will easily accept that it may be possible for some to have survived, but there is no hard data on hair samples, scat samples or tracking by expert gamekeepers and what is known about their breeding habits and behaviour in captivity suggest that thylacines would need a wide territory to support enough of them to have survived 75 years after their accepted extinction date. Unfortunately despite the romance of the myth it fails Hume’s test for belief in miracles.

Re the Tasmanian Devil scenario, this is unlikely as the thylacine was probably quite genetically distinct, as Devil genetic studies prompted by the occurrence of Devil Facial Tumour Disease have revealed that there is little evidence of genetic diversity, at least within the Eastern population of Devils, which are the ones most affected. Interestingly there have been six Devils identified (the so-called ‘Special Six’) which are able to mount an immune reaction to the tumour and not succumb to it. On the genetic makeup of these six devils hangs the fate of the species, as they are highly likely to become extinct within 15 years if a vaccination is not found. The facial tumour disease which has halved the population of devils in the wild within a decade (or 2 generations of devils) has been traced to a single chromosomally deficient female, and because of the lack of genetic diversity within the devil population affected, virtually every devil who contracts the tumour has died of it (apart from the special six). The tumour is spread by direct innoculation of the cells, which occurs due to the feeding and ritualistic fighting behaviours of the devils. Every case of DFTD is a clone of the original tumour, which has never been seen in any mammalian cancer before.

Sorry to digress, but I’ve just come back from a trip to Tassie, and talked to a very knowledgeable local ranger down there !

However, we could use a relatively closely related species to infer the cellular machinery. We could, for example, clone a Tasmanian Tiger by placing its genome into a Tasmanian Devil embryo. For Mammoths we could use elephants.

As John Wilkins puts it:

By Matt Ridley, in Time:

… by the end of this century, if not sooner, biotechnology may have reached the point where it can take just about any DNA recipe and read off a passable 3-D interpretation of the animal it would create.

So long as you also know the developmental machinery, the necessary ecological conditions, the structure of the cells, the maternal investment involved… in other words, if you know the facts about the structure and biology of the organism, you’ll be able to read off the structure and biology of the organism, just from the DNA. Err….

I consider it virtually impossible that any single cell could have sufficiently intact DNA that it could be cloned (even if we knew exactly how to do so). I am pretty sure that would be the case even if that cell had been stored under ideal conditions (i.e. frozen in LN2 below the glass transition of ice).

The DNA from multiple cells will have to be sequenced, the sequences compared and the “correct” sequence inferred. Then the whole genome will have to be assembled from synthesized DNA pieces.

We are still a very long way from being able to do that. It may be possible to do it at some time in the future, it won’t be possible if the best specimens are used up in useless attempts to clone from DNA that is obviously so damaged as to be non-viable.

I see the cloning of the cartilage gene from the Tasmanian tiger as using up material that may potentially be useful in a future attempt that would have a greater chance of being successful.

I should have made clear that I do not advocate attempt at resuscitation from poor samples, or with techniques of dubious success.
It isn’t inconceivable that some intact Neanderthal’s DNA may one day be extracted from a molar, or from a particularly well preserved tibia. I was assuming as much, before we even consider attempting the experiment.

Apophenia,

again, I should have clarified that any attempt at resuscitation should stem from established and bullet-proof cloning techniques, perhaps in a distant future when the relevant science will be confident enough.

Once these two conditions are met, I fail to see the “ethical minefield”, except if I consider the issue from the point of view of the religious, which is anyway based on wrong premises.

I find more objectionable the experimentation on high primates captured in the wild, than bringing a Neanderthal to life, particularly if certain conditions of fairness were to be met, by granting him/her the right of the least traumatic existence as possible, under the circumstances.