The Cloning of a Mammoth

The era of Pleistocene continued from 8 million years ago until 10,000 years ago [1]. Many genera and species such as coniferous trees, mosses, flowering plants, insects, molluscs, birds and mammals of that age still exist today [1]. Long horn buffaloes, saber tooth pussies, huge sloths, mammoths etc. can not survive [1]. Hairy mammoths are usually found in the last glacial age [2]. These animals are similar in size to today's elephants, but are suitable for living in the typical extreme cold conditions of the ice ages [2].

Creating a mammoth clone is the first way that scientists think about restoring mammoths. As early as 2011, it is reported that teams of scientists from Japan, Russia and the United States are jointly creating clones of mammoths. According to CNN, this program uses DNA extracted from the mammoth stored in the Russian laboratory, and inserts them into the eggs of African elephants. The goal is to make such a huge embryo by 2016. However, this approach has not made much progress. One possible reason is that the freezing process does not prevent cell death. It may slow down the process, but it will still destroy the cells for thousands of years. George Church, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, told the Washington Post that "10,000 years of radiation, frozen samples without metabolism accumulate and are broken down into pieces". "Please play again"

We are close to regaining mammoths from extinction. (Photo: AuntSpray / Shutterstock)

Japanese scientists have been trying to clone mammoths for more than 15 years in the effort that Singularity Hub has been tracking since 2011. As a result of examining last year, the team has not succeeded in creating a mammoth clone yet. Scientists like Church think that it is important to create a hybrid rather than a perfect clone by using genetic editing technology called CRISPR / Cas9. CRISPR / Cas9 can edit the genome of any organism. It rose around 2012 and was advertised as a potential treatment for cancer, many genetic diseases, and other surprising applications. This technology is based on how bacteria are tolerant to viruses.