Woolly mammoth cells ‘show signs of activity’ after being implanted into MICE, scientists reveal
The well-preserved ancient beast, which died 28,000 years ago, was found in 2011 in the Siberian permafrost
CELLS from a woolly mammoth that died 28,000 years ago have begun to show signs of biological activity after they were implanted into MICE.
The research, published in , details how a well-preserved woolly mammoth named Yuka, 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.
"Until now many studies have focused on analysing fossil DNA and not whether they still function," Miyamoto added.
While some evidence of biological processes were seen, the damage the elements had on the cells are not enough for bringing the mammoth back to life.
This means we are unlikely to see any kind of "Jurassic Park-style resurrection" that many have hoped for, Miyamoto said.
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He added: "We have also learned that damage to cells was very profound.
“We are yet to see even cell divisions. I have to say we are very far from recreating a mammoth."
Woolly mammoths went extinct more than 4,000 years ago, with some scientists believing they died off from the changing climate and human hunters.
Despite Miyamoto's comments, some researchers are attempting to bring the mammoth back with the use of gene editing.
Harvard and MIT geneticist George Church is the head of the Harvard Woolly Mammoth Revival team which is attempting to introduce mammoth genes into the Asian elephant for conservation purposes.
He told last May: "The elephants that lived in the past — and elephants possibly in the future — knocked down trees and allowed the cold air to hit the ground and keep the cold in the winter, and they helped the grass grow and reflect the sunlight in the summer.
"Those two [factors] combined could result in a huge cooling of the soil and a rich ecosystem."
Mammoth remains have been found all over the globe in recent months.
In June, a mysterious mammoth bone was found on a beach in Loch Ryan in southwest Scotland.
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In August, a frozen woolly mammoth was found in Siberia, with researchers theorising that it may be a new type of species, because of its small stature.
It has been dubbed a "Golden mammoth" and could be as much as 50,000 years old.
In September, a mammoth kill site was found in Austria, where Stone Age people slaughtered mammoths.
A version of this article originally appeared on .
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