Cells from a woolly mammoth that died 28,000 years ago have begun to show “signs of biological [activity]” after they were implanted in mouse cells. However, researchers caution that it’s unlikely the extinct creatures will walk the Earth again anytime soon.
The research, published in Scientific Reports, details how a well-preserved woolly mammoth, found in 2011 in the Siberian permafrost, has begun to show some activity.
“This suggests that, despite the years that have passed, cell activity can still happen and parts of it can be recreated,” Kei Miyamoto, a member of the team that conducted the work, said in an interview with AFP.
SCIENTISTS WANT TO CLONE THIS EXTINCT, FROZEN PREHISTORIC HORSE
“Until now many studies have focused on analyzing fossil DNA and not whether they still function,” Miyamoto added.
The study’s abstract reveals “[i]n the reconstructed oocytes, the mammoth nuclei showed the spindle assembly, histone incorporation and partial nuclear formation; however, the full activation of nuclei for cleavage was not confirmed.” – MORE