Research indicates that animal droppings could play a crucial role in preventing endangered species from disappearing. Within these droppings, some cells remain alive and might be used to enhance genetic diversity in certain species. Although it may sound like a zookeeper's magic trick, transforming animal waste into new life could soon become a reality if scientists succeed in their latest efforts to save endangered animals.
Species like snow leopards and sea turtles face significant threats, with some experts describing the rapid decline in wildlife populations as a "biological annihilation." Researchers are now investigating whether they can utilize dung to capture and leverage the genetic diversity of animals.
Dubbed the "poo zoo," this project is based on a straightforward idea: besides containing undigested food, bacteria, and bile, dung also includes cells from the animal that produced it, shed from their intestinal lining. Importantly, studies suggest that some of these cells remain alive, especially when the dung is fresh.
Professor Suzannah Williams from Oxford University, who leads the research team, stated that while the project is in its early stages, the results are promising. They have successfully isolated living cells from both mouse and elephant droppings. The aim is to use these cells to enhance genetic diversity within species, increasing their chances of survival.
This strategy, known as "genetic rescue," can take various forms. Initially, DNA from these cells could be analyzed to help scientists understand the genetic variation across different populations, aiding conservation efforts. The quality of DNA is superior when extracted from living cells.
If these cells can be cultured and grown, it opens up the possibility of creating entire animals using advanced reproductive technologies. This includes cloning, where a cell's nucleus is inserted into a donor egg, stimulated with an electric impulse, and the resulting embryo is implanted into a surrogate to produce a genetic twin of the original animal.
Even more intriguing is the potential to reprogram these cells to become any cell type. Research in mice has shown that such cells can be transformed into sperm and eggs, which could be used in IVF-like techniques to produce offspring. This method allows for sexual reproduction, which enhances genetic recombination and adaptation to environmental changes.
Dr. Ashlee Hutchinson, who conceived the "poo zoo" idea and manages a conservation program at Revive & Restore, explained that by creating sex cells in a lab, scientists can tap into a species' genetic diversity without needing to physically gather animals or their reproductive cells. This approach could also facilitate gene-editing techniques to study genes related to wildlife diseases or environmental adaptations, potentially engineering greater resilience in species.
Gene editing is already being explored to resurrect extinct species like the Passenger Pigeon and the woolly mammoth. By freezing cultured cells in liquid nitrogen, they can be preserved indefinitely, allowing their DNA to be used in future applications.
Biobanking cells and tissues from endangered species, such as semen and ovarian tissue, for genetic rescue is already supported by various organizations. However, this typically involves collecting samples directly from the animals. In contrast, obtaining cells from dung is non-invasive and doesn't require capturing the animals, making it possible to sample even the most elusive species and access greater genetic diversity from wild populations.
Dr. Rhiannon Bolton, a researcher on the project from Chester Zoo, highlighted the challenge of processing large volumes of dung. The team is working on solutions to separate animal cells from bacteria-heavy environments by using dilution and culturing the cells with antibiotics and antifungals.
Despite the challenges, the team is optimistic. Williams also leads a project to save the northern white rhino using lab-based methods to produce eggs from rhino ovarian tissue. Revive and Restore has successfully cloned the black-footed ferret, a species thought to be extinct twice, from cells frozen decades ago.
While some conservationists argue that prevention is better than cure, and that addressing habitat loss and overexploitation should be the primary focus, the "poo zoo" team believes that modern and traditional conservation methods can complement each other. Dr. David Jachowski, an expert on the black-footed ferret, emphasized that increasing animal numbers alone doesn't eliminate threats in the wild. Bolton added that given the current crisis, multiple tools should be employed to protect biodiversity.