The legendary Tasmanian Tiger may have literally been given a new lease on life thanks to the efforts of scientists who have successfully mapped the creatures' genome.
By way of a baby thylacine that had been well-preserved in ethanol for an astounding 106 years, researchers were able to extract DNA and unlock the extinct animal's genetic sequence for the first time.
What surprised scientists is that, despite often being compared to a dingo, the creature's proverbial blueprint bore more of a resemble to that of a kangaroo.
Beyond the insights into the genetic nature of the thylacine, which also include a troubling lack of diversity that made it prone to disease, is a far more exciting prospect made possible by the project.
Having now acquired the genetic sequence of the creature, scientists could someday actually bring the Tasmanian Tiger back from extinction.
Although researchers say that such a scenario is at least a decade away, it certainly seems to be more a matter of when rather than if the Tasmanian Tiger is reborn.
And, should the thylacine successfully be resurrected, the debate over whether it not it went extinct in the first place could wind up becoming moot, which is a solution to the mystery few may have seen coming.
Source: National Geographic