Scientists have mapped 100-year-old brains of two extinct thylacines — better known as the Tasmanian tiger — to reveal how the carnivore was wired to be a predator.
Key points:
Professor Ken Ashwell, an anatomist at the University of New South Wales and co-author of the research, said no-one had ever studied the thylacine brain in such detail before and that the findings opened the door for use on other extinct and endangered animals.
"What's quite exciting about it for comparative neuroscience and brain evolution is that there are many brains sitting in museums of rare animals, extinct animals," he said.
"[This] opens up the possibility of analysing the internal structure of those brains in ways that were never possible before."
He said the research, published today in PLOS ONE, will help scientists understand how and why animals evolved to behave the way they do.
"A better understanding of animal brains may give us a better idea of how they see the world, which you can't get just from observing the animals," he said.
Scans reveal how Tasmanian tiger brain was wired to kill
Key points:
- Researchers image brain of extinct Tasmanian tiger for the first time
- Brain architecture indicates thylacine would have been predatory
- Imaging techniques could be used on other extinct animals
Professor Ken Ashwell, an anatomist at the University of New South Wales and co-author of the research, said no-one had ever studied the thylacine brain in such detail before and that the findings opened the door for use on other extinct and endangered animals.
"What's quite exciting about it for comparative neuroscience and brain evolution is that there are many brains sitting in museums of rare animals, extinct animals," he said.
"[This] opens up the possibility of analysing the internal structure of those brains in ways that were never possible before."
He said the research, published today in PLOS ONE, will help scientists understand how and why animals evolved to behave the way they do.
"A better understanding of animal brains may give us a better idea of how they see the world, which you can't get just from observing the animals," he said.
Scans reveal how Tasmanian tiger brain was wired to kill