It could be possible to bring back the extinct Christmas Island rat using the CRISPR gene editing technique, according to Dr Tom Gilbert at the University of Copenhagen.
The technique, developed by experts at the Francis Crick Institute and the University of Kent, works by inactivating embryos of one sex shortly after fertilisation.
British scientists are growing a new strain of gene edited wheat dailymail.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailymail.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.