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posted by CoolHand on Saturday April 25 2015, @01:58PM   Printer-friendly
from the we-like-our-pets-big-and-furry dept.

An international team of scientists led by Dr. Love Dalén at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm has published [abstract] the complete genome sequences of two woolly mammoths. Their analysis found evidence of inbreeding among the final population of mammoths on Wrangel Island, as well as a genetic bottleneck around 300,000 years ago, before the arrival of modern humans in the region. Woolly mammoths went extinct around 4,000 years ago, and although Dr. Dalén's team is not attempting to revive the mammoth, they aren't dismissing the possibility:

Dr Love Dalén, at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, told BBC News that the first ever publication of the full DNA sequence of the mammoth could help those trying to bring the creature back to life.

"It would be a lot of fun (in principle) to see a living mammoth, to see how it behaves and how it moves," he said.
But he would rather his research was not used to this end.

"It seems to me that trying this out might lead to suffering for female elephants and that would not be ethically justifiable."

Dr Dalén and the international group of researchers he is collaborating with are not attempting to resurrect the mammoth. But the Long Now Foundation, an organisation based in San Francisco, claims that it is. Now, with the publication of the complete mammoth genome, it could be a step closer to achieving its aim. On its website, the foundation says its ultimate goal is "to produce new mammoths that are capable of repopulating the vast tracts of tundra and boreal forest in Eurasia and North America."

 
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  • (Score: 1) by SunTzuWarmaster on Saturday April 25 2015, @04:20PM

    by SunTzuWarmaster (3971) on Saturday April 25 2015, @04:20PM (#175086)

    Every time I read one of these stories, I think that I am one step closer to three things:
    1 - riding a woolly mammoth
    2 - eating a mammoth burger
    3 - wearing a mammoth coat

    Also, I was in an internet-debate at one time. The other party made the case that "if something is dead, we should keep it that way. They died out thousands of years ago for some reason, and bringing them back is inviting disaster."
    My counterpoint was "Do you know what they likely died from? Being hunted to death by humans. Evidence seems to indicate that they are slow, dumb, and delicious.".

  • (Score: 1) by FlatPepsi on Saturday April 25 2015, @04:27PM

    by FlatPepsi (3546) on Saturday April 25 2015, @04:27PM (#175091)

    >2 - eating a mammoth burger
    I'm with you on #2. Sounds yummy.

    >3 - wearing a mammoth coat
    Is it just me, or does anyone else get a vision of Elton John?

    • (Score: 2) by rts008 on Saturday April 25 2015, @05:59PM

      by rts008 (3001) on Saturday April 25 2015, @05:59PM (#175110)

      Not Elton John, in my mind. Not nearly flamboyant enough.

      I immediately pictured Freddy Flinstone from that comment.

  • (Score: 2) by RamiK on Saturday April 25 2015, @05:20PM

    by RamiK (1813) on Saturday April 25 2015, @05:20PM (#175105)

    If they don't farm Elephants they won't farm Mammoth.

    --
    compiling...
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 25 2015, @05:24PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 25 2015, @05:24PM (#175106)

    Being hunted to death by humans

    This is a contested point.

    I'd cross-off #1 and #3. How about: #4 mammoth ribs.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 25 2015, @09:15PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 25 2015, @09:15PM (#175168)

    Apparently, this happens often enough that it was a plot point in an episode of "Northern Exposure".

    "Lovers and Madmen" [comcast.net] Original Air Date: May 23, 1994

    Joel finds a woolly mammoth frozen just beneath the surface of a glacier and is thrilled with his discovery. When he brings an expert to view the impressive beast, the site [has been] devastated by a bulldozer with not a trace of the remains. Joel follows the tractor tracks, which lead to Walt, who is having the barbecue of a lifetime. He is staggered to hear that Walt, who says mammoth meat is a delicacy, has been eyeing the animal for years, just waiting for the big thaw.

    (The show is set in the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska.)

    -- gewg_