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Researchers aim to resurrect mammoth in five years

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actualfactual

actualfactual

Rising Star
TOKYO — Japanese researchers will launch a project this year to resurrect the long-extinct mammoth by using cloning technology to bring the ancient pachyderm back to life in around five years time, a report said.

The researchers will try to revive the species by obtaining tissue this summer from the carcass of a mammoth preserved in a Russian research laboratory, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

"Preparations to realise this goal have been made," Akira Iritani, leader of the team and a professor emeritus of Kyoto University, told the mass-circulation daily.

Under the plan, the nuclei of mammoth cells will be inserted into an elephant's egg cells from which the nuclei have been removed to create an embryo containing mammoth genes, it said.

The embryo will then be inserted into an elephant's womb in the hope that the animal will eventually give birth to a baby mammoth. Researches hope to achieve their aim within five to six years, the Yomiuri said.

The team, which has invited a Russian mammoth researcher and two US elephant experts into the project, has already established a technique to extract DNA from frozen cells.

The researchers had once given up similar plans after nuclei in the cells of mammoth skin and muscle tissue were damaged by ice crystals and proved unusable.

However, another Japanese researcher, Teruhiko Wakayama of the Riken Centre for Developmental Biology, succeeded in cloning a mouse from the cells of another that had been kept in deep-freeze for 16 years.

Based on Wakayama's techniques, Iritani's team devised a method to extract the nuclei of mammoth eggs without damaging them.

"If a cloned embryo can be created, we need to discuss, before transplanting it into the womb, how to breed (the mammoth) and whether to display it to the public," Iritani said.

"After the mammoth is born, we will examine its ecology and genes to study why the species became extinct and other factors."

More than 80 percent of all mammoth finds have been dug up in the permafrost of the vast Sakha Republic in eastern Siberia. The most perfectly preserved remains of the Ice Age mammals still have hair and internal organs.
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Was no one else taken to the drive-in movies as a child to see Jurassic Park and nearly wet themselves in horror?

It's cool... But what are they going to do with it? How will they feed it? Will it just be kept in a cage? Will it be put on display? What kind of habitat and life will this creature possibly enjoy? :? That's just my mind....
 
It does seem strange to resurrect such a large mammal.

Jurassic park may not be too far from the reality, as you're going to need an island to house it.

Why can't they just bring back the dodo?
 
The environment of the elephant womb may not be suitable for the growth of a mammoth baby. Even if they can clone all the DNA intact, which from such an old source is difficult, they still have to deal with all the potential hormonal and other signaling differences between mammoths and elephants. It may not work the fetus may die early.

I think its worth trying but then again I think we should try cloning humans too.
 
ms_manic_minxx said:
It's cool... But what are they going to do with it? How will they feed it? Will it just be kept in a cage? Will it be put on display? What kind of habitat and life will this creature possibly enjoy? :? That's just my mind....
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These were my first thoughts as well.
burnt said:
I think its worth trying but then again I think we should try cloning humans too.
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Cloning humans is a scary subject for me. Sure, you make a clone of yourself and you continue to live on, without actually having children. But what happens when we start really messing around with genetics? "I want a clone of myself, but with a more athletic body and no pattern baldness please. Oh, and make sure he's blond."

That shit scares me. Just be grateful for what you've been given.
 
ms_manic_minxx said:
Was no one else taken to the drive-in movies as a child to see Jurassic Park and nearly wet themselves in horror?

It's cool... But what are they going to do with it? How will they feed it? Will it just be kept in a cage? Will it be put on display? What kind of habitat and life will this creature possibly enjoy? :? That's just my mind....
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Me and my wife share this exact sentiment.

My inner scientist however would love to see it! :)
 
actualfactual said:
But what are they going to do with it?
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Knowing the Japanese they probably want to eat it.. 😉
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Whahahaha thanks for the great laugh. Love you folks!
I can see it now: New! Mammoth Teriyaki!

This is very, very interresting news indeed. Jurassic Park allways intrueged me and now it doensn't even seem all that far fetched.
Why wouldn't they show it to the public if it succeeds?
 
If released, mammoth would likely live on the Siberian tundra. Their dung would be highly beneficial for the ecosystem and, provided there are enough of the animals, their existence would greatly increase the fertility of that environment and have a small but measurable effect on planetary climate.
 
Heck, my first thought was that I could ride it. Probably through the Siberian tundra.
And imagine getting amanita experiences via MAMMOTH pee.

Note: I understand the Jurassic Park ethical issues.

Q: Has the tsunami/earthquake put this on indefinite hold?
 
ms_manic_minxx said:
It's cool... But what are they going to do with it? How will they feed it? Will it just be kept in a cage? Will it be put on display? What kind of habitat and life will this creature possibly enjoy? :? That's just my mind....
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With such a large animal this would be a big concern, no pun intended. Also it would be very lonely without a mate or any other mammoth around.

I agree that the dodo bird would have been a better choice for this sort of project.
 
Not Sure said:
I agree that the dodo bird would have been a better choice for this sort of project.
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Why? So it could kill itself through sheer stupidity again.

Just joking, I imagine if the first one was a success they would create another of the opposite sex, so that they could naturally breed a few more. This brings up a few questions though, wouldn't they need multiple specimens to make a breeding pair? Or even more specimens to create enough to bring it back from extinction? Would making a breeding pair even be possible since they are elephant/mammoth hybrids (think of the liger situation)?

What if they do bring it back to life then it immediately catches some kind disease/infection that it can't fight off because it hasn't adapted through the years?

So maybe the only reason for this would be to see if its possible and push the bounds of our technology, maybe sell some of them to rich people for their amusement/personal use?
 
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