Tasmanian tiger

25-09-2023

03:22 AM

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1 min read
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Overview:

Recently, researchers have recovered Ribonucleic acid (RNA) from the desiccated skin and muscle of a Tasmanian tiger stored since 1891 at a museum in Stockholm.

About Tasmanian tiger:

  • The Tasmanian tiger resembled a wolf, aside from the tiger-like stripes on its back.
  • The last-known Tasmanian tiger succumbed in a Tasmanian zoo in 1936.
  • It is a large carnivorous marsupial now believed to be extinct.
  • It was the only member of the family Thylacinidae to survive into modern times.
  • It was widespread over continental Australia, extending north to New Guinea and south to Tasmania.
  • It is an apex predator that hunted kangaroos and other prey. 

 

What is RNA?

  • It is a complex compound of high molecular weight that functions in cellular protein synthesis.
  • It replaces DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) as a carrier of genetic codes in some viruses.
  • It consists of ribose nucleotides (nitrogenous bases appended to a ribose sugar) attached by phosphodiester bonds.
  • The nitrogenous bases in RNA are adenine, guanine, cytosine, and uracil.
  • It is a single-stranded molecule that carries genetic information.
  • RNA synthesises the panoply of proteins that an organism requires to live and works to regulate cell metabolism.

 


Q1) What is the structure of DNA?

The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA ) has a double-helix structure, which resembles a twisted ladder or spiral staircase. It consists of two long chains of nucleotides running in opposite directions and bonded together by pairs of nitrogenous bases. The four nitrogenous bases found in DNA are adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G).

Source: In a first, RNA is recovered from extinct Tasmanian tiger