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In recent years the woolly mammoth was brought to life (figuratively speaking) through animation in the Ice Age movie series. Now bringing the species back to life may not just be movie magic, but a serious possibility. Since the nineties scientists have been exploring the idea of cloning this iconic ice-age creature. They found that in theory it was plausible but the reality threw up some major difficulties. The core obstacle was that they could not find a specimen of mammoth DNA sufficiently preserved and intact to have a viable chance of producing a successful clone. Last August however, they did!
On the Yamal Peninsula of Russia a six-month old female woolly mammoth calf was discovered. Despite being over 10,000 years old the creature was remarkably well preserved. The animal's trunk and eyes were still intact and even some fur remained on the body. The carcass was carefully transported to Kinki University in Japan (the hub of research on the subject), where upon further examination the researchers confirmed that the calf’s thigh bone contains well-preserved marrow cells.
The next step is to attempt cloning. If they manage to extract an undamaged nucleus they will then attempt to insert it into an elephant’s egg. The plan is for the elephant to act as surrogate and bring the mammoth to term. It sounds like the stuff of science fiction…and it may prove to be that (for now) considering that even procuring elephant ova is a challenge in itself and the cloning success rate for existing animals like sheep is still quite low. If the cloning and implantation of the embryo is a success, it must then gestate within the body of the elephant for more than one year; a feat which has obviously never been attempted before!
The message from all involved in the study is optimistic as they claim a woolly mammoth once again walking this earth is a realistic possibility within the next five years. Others in the scientific community remain sceptical. It’s a difficult process which will undoubtedly pose a range of new challenges. The scientists may now have their DNA specimen but it’s far from plain sailing!
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