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Wooly Mammoth Clones Soon To Be? (NBC: Today Show - October 2011)
Woolly Mammoth Perfectly Preserved Blood Tissue Intact Russian Scientists Will Clone
Published on May 31, 2013
Woolly Mammoth Perfectly Preserved Blood Tissue Intact Russian Scientists Will Clone. MOSCOW - Russian researchers say they have discovered a perfectly preserved woolly mammoth carcass with liquid blood on a remote Arctic island, fueling hopes of cloning the Ice Age animal.
They say the frozen remains of a female mammoth were so well-preserved that blood was found in ice cavities when they were broken up. Semyon Grigoryev, the head of the Mammoth Museum who led the expedition, said Thursday the carcass was preserved because its lower part was stuck in pure ice. He said the find could provide scientific material for cloning a mammoth. Wooly mammoths are thought to have died out about 10,000 years ago. Scientists have deciphered much of the animals' genetic code from their hair, and some believe it's possible to clone them if living cells are found.
Ice Age Expert's 'serious doubts' over mammoth cloning
Published on May 30, 2013
Blood found in mammoth raises cloning hopes
MOSCOW -- Russian scientists claimed Wednesday they have discovered blood in the carcass of a woolly mammoth, adding that the rare find could boost their chances of cloning the prehistoric animal.
An expedition led by Russian scientists earlier this month uncovered the well-preserved carcass of a female mammoth on a remote island in the Arctic Ocean.
Semyon Grigoryev, the head of the expedition, said the animal died at the age of around 60 some 10,000 to 15,000 years ago, and that it was the first time that an old female had been found.
But what was more surprising was that the carcass was so well preserved that it still had blood and muscle tissue. "When we broke the ice beneath her stomach, the blood flowed out from there; it was very dark," said Grigoryev, who is a scientist at Northeastern Federal University. "This is the most astonishing case in my entire life. How was it possible for it to remain in liquid form? And the muscle tissue is also red, the color of fresh meat."
Grigoryev said that the lower part of the carcass was very well preserved as it ended up in a pool of water that later froze over. The upper part of the body including the back and the head are believed to have been eaten by predators, he added. "The forelegs and the stomach are well preserved, while the hind part has become a skeleton," he said.
The discovery, Grigoryev said, gives new hope to researchers in their quest to bring the woolly mammoth back to life.
"This find gives us a really good chance of finding live cells which can help us implement this project to clone a mammoth," he said. "Previous mammoths have not had such well-preserved tissue."
Last year, Grigoryev's Northeastern Federal University signed a deal with cloning pioneer Hwang Woo-suk of South Korea's Sooam Biotech Research Foundation, who in 2005 created the world's first cloned dog.
In the coming months, mammoth specialists from South Korea, Russia and the U.S. are expected to study the remains, which the Russian scientists are now keeping at an undisclosed northern location. "I won't say where it is being kept or it may get stolen," he said
Woolly Mammoth Perfectly Preserved Blood Tissue Intact Russian Scientists Will Clone
Published on May 31, 2013
Woolly Mammoth Perfectly Preserved Blood Tissue Intact Russian Scientists Will Clone. MOSCOW - Russian researchers say they have discovered a perfectly preserved woolly mammoth carcass with liquid blood on a remote Arctic island, fueling hopes of cloning the Ice Age animal.
They say the frozen remains of a female mammoth were so well-preserved that blood was found in ice cavities when they were broken up. Semyon Grigoryev, the head of the Mammoth Museum who led the expedition, said Thursday the carcass was preserved because its lower part was stuck in pure ice. He said the find could provide scientific material for cloning a mammoth. Wooly mammoths are thought to have died out about 10,000 years ago. Scientists have deciphered much of the animals' genetic code from their hair, and some believe it's possible to clone them if living cells are found.
Ice Age Expert's 'serious doubts' over mammoth cloning
Published on May 30, 2013
Blood found in mammoth raises cloning hopes
MOSCOW -- Russian scientists claimed Wednesday they have discovered blood in the carcass of a woolly mammoth, adding that the rare find could boost their chances of cloning the prehistoric animal.
An expedition led by Russian scientists earlier this month uncovered the well-preserved carcass of a female mammoth on a remote island in the Arctic Ocean.
Semyon Grigoryev, the head of the expedition, said the animal died at the age of around 60 some 10,000 to 15,000 years ago, and that it was the first time that an old female had been found.
But what was more surprising was that the carcass was so well preserved that it still had blood and muscle tissue. "When we broke the ice beneath her stomach, the blood flowed out from there; it was very dark," said Grigoryev, who is a scientist at Northeastern Federal University. "This is the most astonishing case in my entire life. How was it possible for it to remain in liquid form? And the muscle tissue is also red, the color of fresh meat."
Grigoryev said that the lower part of the carcass was very well preserved as it ended up in a pool of water that later froze over. The upper part of the body including the back and the head are believed to have been eaten by predators, he added. "The forelegs and the stomach are well preserved, while the hind part has become a skeleton," he said.
The discovery, Grigoryev said, gives new hope to researchers in their quest to bring the woolly mammoth back to life.
"This find gives us a really good chance of finding live cells which can help us implement this project to clone a mammoth," he said. "Previous mammoths have not had such well-preserved tissue."
Last year, Grigoryev's Northeastern Federal University signed a deal with cloning pioneer Hwang Woo-suk of South Korea's Sooam Biotech Research Foundation, who in 2005 created the world's first cloned dog.
In the coming months, mammoth specialists from South Korea, Russia and the U.S. are expected to study the remains, which the Russian scientists are now keeping at an undisclosed northern location. "I won't say where it is being kept or it may get stolen," he said