Mammoth Could Be Brought Back to Life In 4 Years

[sixmile]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/18/wooly-mammoth-reborn_n_810237.html



'Researchers will attempt resurrecting the mammoth, a species believed extinct for over 5,000 years, after finally obtaining tissue last summer from a carcass preserved in a Russian mammoth research laboratory.'

snip

'If everything goes as planned, a mammoth will be born in 4 to 6 years. It will take so long because it will most likely be at least two years before they can impregnate an elephant, and then there will be a 600 day gestation period.'

snip

'Mammoths were between 10 to 12 feet tall and weighed from 6 to 8 tons. They are estimated to have gone extinct more than 5,000 years ago, probably due to a combination of the change in climate, hunting, and disease, and remain a symbol of the last ice age.'

more at link

[Uncle Joe]

1. Yay! Mammoths rock!

:bounce: :yourock:

Thanks for the thread, sixmile.

[daggahead]

2. Why? n/t

[sixmile]

6. Something new to poach

A new protein?

[HereSince1628]

7. I see this as a demonstration project...but have mixed feelings

It's great that science has developed the capacity to do this. I remember sitting with other grad students late into the night talking about doing this sort of thing in the 1980's. In one sense it would be a triumph.

On the otherhand, it isn't so great that an individual could be brought back that doesn't fit into any existing ecosystem.

Thirty years ago we recognized the difference between can and should.

I wonder where our preference lies at present.

[Taverner]

13. Theyll do fine in the Arctic and Antarctica

[sixmile]

17. Something new for Sarah to shoot from a helicopter

nt

[jpak]

29. They never lived in the Antarctic - and there is nothing for them to feed on there

and the Mammoth Steppe ecosystem that existed ~10,000 years ago does not exist today.

[NickB79]

50. Researchers are actively working on recreating the mammoth steppe ecosystem in Siberia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleistocene_Park

And as a plus, it could even work to slow global warming: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4533485.stm

[Uncle Joe]

19. If it can be replicated, this can improve the odds of humanity's long term survival by serving

as additional insurance for enriched biodiversities.

[Swamp Rat]

23. Yeah, so we can recreate very hairy hominids in preparation of another ice age.

[Uncle Joe]

27. I don't believe resurrecting the mammoth in and of itself would do it and resurrecting

Ameropithecus Estupidus would probably lead to our extinction.

Having said that having the ability to bring back extinct species be it animal or plant might be a life saver at some point.

[slackmaster]

35. To make shitloads of money, of course

We're talking about Japanese researchers here.

[DaveinJapan]

46. Prejudiced much? nt

[JVS]

38. Real ivory piano keys.

[Motown_Johnny]

43. scientific advancement for it's own sake

[maxsolomon]

3. this is relevant to my interests!

next on the agenda: sabre-tooth tigers.

look out, yukon! things are going to get interesting!

[newscott]

4. I can see it now.

Mammoth is brought back, looks around and shouts out, "What have you done?" and drops dead.

Alternate scenario, Mammoth says, "Oh no, not again!"

[ProdigalJunkMail]

8. wasn't it eating petunias when it froze??? n/t

[FiveGoodMen]

9. What will Arthur Dent do to kill the poor creature this time?

[monmouth]

5. I read the title too quickly...Whew!...n/t

[Raksha]

10. I think you did!!!

:rofl:

[Prometheus Bound]

11. I'd like to wrassle with a woolly mammoth before I die.

Likely hasten my death a tad though.

[peace13]

12. Is this the best use of time? nt/

[Tesha]

16. Perhaps not directly, but wouldn't it be nice to be able to bring back a few species...

...that have more-recently gone extinct? Think of this as a
"prototype" or a dry run.

Tesha

[peace13]

20. Could we please start with the human species? n/t

[Tesha]

30. With nearly 7 billion of us on this little planet, ...

...there isn't much risk of us going extinct
any time soon.

Tesha

[AtomicKitten]

14. Zombie Mammoth!

[Tesha]

15. Velociraptors, here we come! ;-)

(My parrots will be SO proud!!!)

Tesha

[hamsterjill]

48. Jurassic Park!

I know...that's what I thought of. Dinosaurs will be next.

And didn't anyone else see Jurassic Park? It did not end well for the humans!!!

Seriously, I echo the sentiments expressed in several up posts. I am intrigued that science is now capable of doing this, but I'm not yet sure that we should do it just because we can.

I'll try to keep an open mind.

[Zoeisright]

18. Where, exactly, is it going to live?

And who's going to raise it?

[rug]

21. What's the hurry? Take five years.

[Vickers]

22. Mammoth steaks, baby!

:headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang:

[JI7]

24. Neanderthal is Next

[1monster]

25. Before they actually do this, please tell me that they have considered the birth size of

a mammouth and the size of an elephant. (It sounds like torture for the elephant surrogate mother.) Have they researched what kinds of food the mammouth ate and whether it is still available in the world today -- it isn't the same world it was when mammouths roamed the frozen steppes of the world.

This experiment sounds ill conceived, with little thought of the possible consequences.

[TorchTheWitch]

36. they're no larger than African elephants

and have a much smaller cranium. It also isn't necessary to do a natural birth.

I think it's ridiculous and cruel to attempt this particularly because there's no other reason for it other than "because we can". The poor creature would be kept in captivity with not a single other member of its species to bond with, and they're gregarious creatures. It's cruel and senseless.

[Zephie]

26. Apparently we lost a year between sunday and today?

It was 5 years a few days ago. Time warp!

[NuclearDem]

32. Time warps...something we need to do again

Easy enough, it's just a jump to the left.

[Zephie]

34. A handy guide to time warping:

[LiberalEsto]

28. That poor mama elephant!

Sounds like she's in for a horrendously uncomfortable, if not actually painful, pregnancy and labor.

[brooklynite]

31. I think I saw this movie...

"Pliocine Park"

or was it

"Ice Age 5: the Rebirth"

[frogmarch]

33. To Clone a Wooly Mammoth

Here are the lyrics to a song by that name I wrote about 5 years ago:


If good DNA is ever found with which to clone a wooly mammoth
Would the surrogate's womb and birth canal be able to put up with
A possible colossal child, or would mother and baby both die?
Consider first there could be a burst, before deciding cloning’s worth a try.

Would the gestational age for the Pleistocene child be the same as for an Elephas tyke?
If not known, it might be wise to scrap any plans for a lookalike
But the DNA should be preserved for future scientists
It might be the only sample of its kind that anywhere exists.

If SCNT (somatic cell nuclear transfer) is carried out, beware of clashing genomes
In the mix of mitochondria, for in these chromosomes
The DNA seldom jibes in interspecies cloning, it’s found
But here’s an idea that just might work;
In principle it’s sound.

To the wooly’s nucleus add its mitochondrial genes that code for proteins, or
More wooly cytoplasm to the enucleated egg, for
If one fix works, at least a chance there will be, oh don’t you know
For a live wooly mammoth instead of just a tiny, dead embryo.

~~

Good luck to the researchers.

[theophilus]

37. GREAT! Just in time for the next mini-ice age. Look out New England! n/t

[mmonk]

39. If we could bring back dinosaurs as well, we can have a real live

creationist museum.

[Kurovski]

40. They make great showers

If I remember that show on the History Channel correctly. The Flintstones, I believe?

[AsahinaKimi]

41. maybe the GOP can use this as their new Elephant symbol

Old fossils return from the dead.

[AsahinaKimi]

42. video

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4622301n&tag=mncol;lst;1

[Crankie Avalon]

44. Well, maybe in four years time something giving us the right to do this will magically appear, also.

[MattBaggins]

45. No they are not. It won't work.

Just like the Rielians cloned a human except that they couldn't produce any evidence of it.

[Enthusiast]

47. I view it as a fascinating

exercise and I'm all for it. The baby mammoth will be socialized as an Asian elephant so no problem from that quarter. It will also be an instant tourist attraction. It will be embraced the citizens as a symbol of Japanese technical competency.

[LynneSin]

49. Didn't these folks watch Jurassic Park - it didn't end well in the end

sure it's only a Wooly Mammoth but what's next? A T-Rex?

There is a reason why these animals are extinct, they are not meant to live in this world.

If it was a Passenger Pigeon or a Dodo bird, I could see it - but there has to be some limits.