Wooly Mammoth Revival?

Scientists could bring back Woolly mammoths from the dead using DNA from frozen carcasses.

12:39 18 February 2017

Using the controversial CRISPR technology, scientists will attempt to create a mammoth-elephant hybrid using DNA extracted from frozen mammoth carcasses retrieved from permafrost. The bundle of cells would have genes for mammoth features such as thick layers of fat, shaggy long hair, and blood that is perfectly suited to flowing in sub zero conditions.

 

Scientists from Harvard University plan to use an artificial womb instead of recruiting a female elephant as a surrogate mother. They have initiated the project in 2015 and has since made a number of edits where mammoth DNA has been spliced into the elephant genome from 15 to 45.

 

Professor George Church, who heads the Harvard team, said: 'We're working on ways to evaluate the impact of all these edits and are basically trying to establish embryogenesis in the lab.

 

'The list of edits affects things that contribute to the success of elephants in cold environments.

 

'We already know about ones to do with small ears, sub-cutaneous fat, hair and blood, but there are others that seem to be positively selected.'