Archaeological experts from Japan and Russia believes could re-create ancient animal that became extinct after digging in the Siberian mammoth tusk. Tusk is preserved by a layer of ice over the past 50 thousand years.
Teams from various institutions, including Mammoths Museums, Republic of Sakha, Russia, and the University of Kyoto, Japan-stated plan to revive the modern elephant cousins will be done next year.
To realize the plan, they will replace an elephant egg cell nucleus with the nucleus of cells derived from mammoth's marrow cells in mammoth fossils. "Embryos with mammoth DNA could be created," said the researchers told the news agency Kyodo News.
Furthermore, researchers will save the embryos into the uterus to deliver the baby elephants mammoths. Elephant's womb can be used as a storage of embryos because these two species has close morphological and genetic.
Teams from various institutions, including Mammoths Museums, Republic of Sakha, Russia, and the University of Kyoto, Japan-stated plan to revive the modern elephant cousins will be done next year.
To realize the plan, they will replace an elephant egg cell nucleus with the nucleus of cells derived from mammoth's marrow cells in mammoth fossils. "Embryos with mammoth DNA could be created," said the researchers told the news agency Kyodo News.
Furthermore, researchers will save the embryos into the uterus to deliver the baby elephants mammoths. Elephant's womb can be used as a storage of embryos because these two species has close morphological and genetic.
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| An archaeologist removes dirt from around a 50,000 year old mammoth tusk. Scientists from Japan and Russia believe it may be possible to clone a mammoth after finding well-preserved bone marrow in a thigh bone recovered from permafrost soil in Siberia. (Picture from: http://www.france24.com/) |
During
this land in the eastern Russian eternal snow. Global warming is
causing this layer to melt, thus allowing scientists found more fossils,
including mammoth tusk.
Since 1990, researchers are working hard to find genes that are still intact mammoth. This is a tough job, considering the mammoth has been extinct since 10 thousand years ago. The finding fossils in Siberia in August, giving new hope for the cloning of this ancient species.
Researchers from Kinki University's Graduate School of Biology-Oriented Science and Technology began the study in 1997.
On three occasions, the team obtained mammoth skin and muscle tissue excavated in good condition from the permafrost in Siberia.
However, most nuclei in the cells were damaged by ice crystals and were unusable. The plan to clone a mammoth was abandoned.
In 2008, Dr. Teruhiko Wakayama of Kobe's Riken Center for Developmental Biology succeeded in cloning a mouse from the cells of mouse that had been kept in deep-freeze for 16 years. The achievement was the first in the world.
Based on Wakayama's techniques, Iritani's team devised a technique to extract the nuclei of eggs--only 2 percent to 3 percent are in good condition--without damaging them.
Last spring, the team invited Minoru Miyashita, a professor of Kinki University who was once head of Osaka's Tennoji Zoo, to participate in the project.
On three occasions, the team obtained mammoth skin and muscle tissue excavated in good condition from the permafrost in Siberia.
However, most nuclei in the cells were damaged by ice crystals and were unusable. The plan to clone a mammoth was abandoned.
In 2008, Dr. Teruhiko Wakayama of Kobe's Riken Center for Developmental Biology succeeded in cloning a mouse from the cells of mouse that had been kept in deep-freeze for 16 years. The achievement was the first in the world.
Based on Wakayama's techniques, Iritani's team devised a technique to extract the nuclei of eggs--only 2 percent to 3 percent are in good condition--without damaging them.
Last spring, the team invited Minoru Miyashita, a professor of Kinki University who was once head of Osaka's Tennoji Zoo, to participate in the project.
Miyashita asked zoos across the nation to donate elephant egg cells when their female elephants died.
There was no confirmation on the location where the mammoth breeding programme will take place, though tradition would surely call for an offshore island. *** [PHYSORG | ANTON WILLIAM | KORAN TEMPO 3727]
