One of the company’s latest breakthroughs on the project owes much to luck. Last year, a thylacine head preserved in ethanol was discovered hidden away in a cupboard in a Melbourne museum. Crucially, the soft tissues of the 110-year-old sample were well maintained.

Generally, long sequences of DNA break down shortly after death, yet, in this case, tissue preservation was so thorough that rare and delicate genetic material survived for over a century. Notably, the rare RNA preserved on this unique specimen varies by tissue, and a complete head presented RNA from various parts, such as the eyes and tongue.