Four years after a southern white rhino named Maureen died at Whipsnade Zoo, scientists have brought part of her back to life—at least at the cellular level.Researchers at Nature’s SAFE, a UK-based conservation biobank, have successfully revived and grown living cells from a skin sample taken after Maureen’s death. The 40-year-old southern white rhino had lived at the zoo, and her ear tissue—stored in liquid nitrogen at -196°C—was preserved. In April, scientists thawed the sample. Now they’ve created millions of living cells, marking what they believe is a first in the UK.“These cells represent living DNA from this rhino that is readily available for conservation use even though the rhino itself is deceased,” lab tech Lucy Morgan, who led the culturing process, told BBC.This One Dead Rhino Could Help Save Its Entire SpeciesThe plan is to turn these skin cells into egg or sperm cells, using a technique that’s already been proven in mice. If it works, Maureen could still contribute to future generations of southern white rhinos—years after her death—and help keep her species from slipping back toward extinction.Nature’s SAFE has collected samples from 300 species so far, including 37 that are critically endangered and four extinct in the wild. By creating what’s essentially a living archive of genetic material, the team hopes to support IVF, artificial insemination, and other techniques that could help reintroduce lost diversity into fragile populations.“The key benefit of utilising skin cells is that we can obtain them easily and continue to regenerate them indefinitely,” said COO Debbie Rolmanis. “They are not a finite resource.”Tullis Matson, the charity’s founder, called the rhino cell revival a “game-changer.” In his words, “Now we’ve proven that this rhino’s cells are truly in a living state even though she passed away almost four years ago.” He added that the breakthrough offers hope not just for rhinos but for any species “on the brink.”And that’s the bigger point. The mountain chicken frog. The Lake Pátzcuaro salamander. The animals that don’t make headlines. This kind of preservation could be their shot at staying on the planet. It’s the same frontier of science that’s already circling Tasmanian devils, cloning experiments with dodo birds, and even the partial revival of creatures like the dire wolf—sort of.For now, Maureen’s cells live on in a lab in Shropshire—growing and full of possibility. It’s not resurrection. But it might be something close.The post How One Dead Rhino Could Help Save Its Entire Species appeared first on VICE.