Hunted to extinction by humans a century ago, the thylacine—better known as the Tasmanian tiger—is one of biology’s de-extinction projects. Scientists plan to bring back this striped marsupial through genetic engineering. They’ll take the thylacine genetic sequences that we have and edit them into the cells of a fat-tailed dunnart, its closest living relative. The embryos will be grown in artificial wombs or carried by a fat-tailed dunnart surrogate mother. If successful, we may bring back Tasmanian tigers (or the closest thing we’ll get to them) to the Tasmanian wilderness. Read full article here
Research
Improving media literacy could boost trust towards the news, IMPRESS report suggests
The UK media is regulated by the likes of IPSO and Ofcom. The report by press regulator IMPRESS highlights the link between low levels of media literacy and trust in the news. The study found that three quarters of those who did not know if journalists were regulated did not trust the news. It suggests that improving media literacy is one way to stem the erosion of trust, and shows that audiences have an appetite for information on news processes. Stakeholders need to collaborate in order to rebuild trust in the news, and independent media is well placed to do this. Read full article here
Merv
February 1, 2023
