Photo illustration by Lauren Peters-Collaer

Saving species by assisting evolution

Habitat degradation, invasive species, infectious diseases and climate change have given Australia one of the worst rates of species loss in the world. In some cases, scientists say, the threats are so intractable that the only way to protect Australia’s unique animals is to change them.

It is an audacious concept, and one that challenges a fundamental impulse to preserve wild creatures as they are. Using techniques such as crossbreeding and gene editing, scientists are altering the genomes of vulnerable animals, hoping to arm them with the traits they need to survive.