The project goes in and out of active status. I believe a US company recently got involved, which promises more capital for the project assuming they don't try and copyright the animal or something equally stupid.
The big issue once they get a zygote is going to be the host mother. The only close(ish) relative is the Tazmanian Devil, which is about the size of a small dog. The Thylacene is the size of a large dog....
Fortunately they're marsupials, so the pup(s) are born ridiculously premature and do most of their development externally. Assuming the proxy mother's immune system tolerates it, and that they can get her to cary it long enough to develop, AND that they can find some kind of milk it can drink, they can give it most of its development in a bag around a volunteers kneck.
I haven't followed it, I just remember thinking that it was pretty cool when I first read it. It did sound like some kooky Frankenscience not to mention the ecological implications were a bit much, so I didn't think it would get too far anyway.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-15 04:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-15 04:59 pm (UTC)From a video.
And not even a super-HD modern kind of surround-sound video.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-15 05:01 pm (UTC)We don't have any genetic data about these animals?
(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-15 05:23 pm (UTC)From Animal Planet
(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-15 06:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-15 06:18 pm (UTC)The big issue once they get a zygote is going to be the host mother. The only close(ish) relative is the Tazmanian Devil, which is about the size of a small dog. The Thylacene is the size of a large dog....
Fortunately they're marsupials, so the pup(s) are born ridiculously premature and do most of their development externally. Assuming the proxy mother's immune system tolerates it, and that they can get her to cary it long enough to develop, AND that they can find some kind of milk it can drink, they can give it most of its development in a bag around a volunteers kneck.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-15 06:18 pm (UTC)not to belittle the HUGE PROBLEM of getting viable zygotes.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-15 09:41 pm (UTC)Yeah, I know, he's not a Thylacine, but that's still a great line.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-11-15 09:42 pm (UTC)