Reefa Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 "Harvard University spliced recreated genes from a woolly mammoth into the DNA of an elephant and found they functioned normally" Scientists hope to bring back the woolly mammoth which has not existed for 3,300 years A major step forward in bringing back the woolly mammoth has been taken by scientists at Harvard University who have inserted DNA from the extinct mammal into the genetic code of an elephant.Geneticists have studied DNA from mammoths which were preserved in Arctic permafrost looking for genes which separated them from elephants, such as hairiness and ear size.They then replicated the genes and spliced them into the genetic code of an elephant where they functioned normally.It is the first time that mammoth genes have been alive for more than 3,300 years - although so far it has only been done in the lab.George Church, professor of genetics at Harvard University, used a new technique which allows scientists to make precision edits to DNA, replacing sections of elephant DNA with the mammoth genes."We prioritised genes associated with cold resistance including hairiness, ear size, subcutaneous fat and, especially," Prof Church told The Sunday Times."We now have functioning elephant cells with mammoth DNA in them. We have not published it in a scientific journal because there is more work to do, but we plan to do so."Mammoths are closely related to Asian elephants but died out in the last Ice Age. The last of the species survived on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean until about 3,300 years ago.It was these caracasses which provided the DNA used by the scientist at Harvard.There are at least three separate teams trying to reconstruct the whole mammoth genome and bring back the creature.In her new book, How To Clone a Mammoth, Beth Shapiro of the University of California, an expert on ancient DNA, said: "If we really want to bring mammoths back to life, then we're in luck, as far as DNA preservation goes.“Some mammoths lived in places where their bones and carcasses were buried in permafrost, like being stuck in a freezer for 30,000-plus years."It's in pretty shoddy condition, so hard to piece together, but if we sort through these tiny pieces, finding where they fit along the elephant genome, then we can slowly build a lot of the mammoth genome."However some scientists believe that bringing back the mammoth would be unethical.Professor Alex Greenwood, an expert on ancient DNA, said: "We face the potential extinction of African and Asian elephants. Why bring back another elephantid from extinction when we cannot even keep the ones that are not extinct around?"What is the message? We can be as irresponsible with the environment as we want. Then we'll just clone things back?"Money would be better spent focusing on conserving what we do have than spending it on an animal that has been extinct for thousands of years."http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11488404/Woolly-mammoth-could-roam-again-as-extinct-DNA-merged-with-elephant.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Owl Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 anyone thinking Jurassic Park? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dMog Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 i read about this a few years ago...some experts thought back then that were very close to making it happen back then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurch234 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Professor Alex Greenwood, an expert on ancient DNA, said: "We face the potential extinction of African and Asian elephants. Why bring back another elephantid from extinction when we cannot even keep the ones that are not extinct around?"What is the message? We can be as irresponsible with the environment as we want. Then we'll just clone things back?"Money would be better spent focusing on conserving what we do have than spending it on an animal that has been extinct for thousands of years."Couldn't have said it better myself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
software182 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dMog Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 anyone thinking Jurassic Park?do not give the conspiracy nuts anything more to be thinking about... :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Owl Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 anyone thinking Jurassic Park?do not give the conspiracy nuts anything more to be thinking about... :rolleyes:From what I have seen around the web and from the close to a year I spent in the US and the two three months tours in Canada You guys do not need a lot of help being paranoid, the Americans certainly have the world Championship for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humble3d Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 There are still a few people round who wonder if dino's disappeared because cave men ate them all... :lol: :wtf: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasbridge Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 There are still a few people round who wonder if dino's disappeared because cave men ate them all... :lol: :wtf: That sounds like something a vegetarian would have said... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flitox Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 pffff dinos never existed, there is no mention of them in my bible, which is the Truth, the Holy Truth, the only Truth.the earth wasn't even created when they were supposed to be here so please stop spreading propanganda lies or you satan will forever rot in hell :wtf: :showoff: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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