Mammoth sculpture at the Royal Victoria Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
The region’s most famous prehistoric faunathe woolly mammothmight be back from extinction and flourishing in its frigid element.
A company calledColossalplans to bring the species back using modern DNA technology, a process they call de-extinction.
Mammoth sculpture at the Royal Victoria Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo: Thomas Quine viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY 2.0)
If successful, the company hopes to have a living mammoth by 2027.
The process begins with DNA.
Thankfully, many mammoth skeletons have been discovered over the years with skin and hair preserved in ice.
Lyuba, the mummified baby mammoth, discovered in 2007 after being buried for 41,800 years. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons,CC BY 2.0)
This includes specimens likeLyuba, a well-preserved 42,00-year-old baby mammoth.
Theoldest DNA ever discoveredeven comes from a woolly mammoth that roamed 1.2 million years ago.
Once formed, the embryo will be implanted in an African elephant, the larger of the elephant species.
Peter III of Russia carved in mammoth tusk ivory. (Photo: shakko viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 3.0)
However, a tiny population persisted in an isolated Arctic island until about3,700 years ago.
Bringing extinct species backparticularly long-extinct species such as thedodo or woolly mammothraises massiveethical and environmental questions.
Jurassic Park was not a good model, so what is?
As technology advances, ethical lines will be drawn.
Somescientists are skepticalthe Colossal team will be able to pull off creating a live mammoth baby.
But the technology is certainly worth discussing.
Santa Cruz, an expert not involved with Colossal, said.
We need to intervene even more.
Lyuba, the mummified baby mammoth, discovered in 2007 after being buried for 41,800 years.
Peter III of Russia carved in mammoth tusk ivory.
