Scientist says he can clone mammoth.

[Arrowheadology Staff]

Scientist says he can clone long-extinct mammoth

Professor Akira Iritani of Kyoto University told the U.K.'s Telegraph that a technique pioneered in 2008, which allowed for the cloning of a mouse using cells from another mouse that had been frozen for 16 years, could be used to resurrect the famous long-tusked mammal from remains found in Siberia's permafrost.

"The success rate in the cloning of cattle was poor until recently, but now stands at about 30 percent," Iritani told The Telegraph. "I think we have a reasonable chance of success and a healthy mammoth could be born in four or five years."

Iritani is planning an expedition to Siberia this year in search of a well-preserved tissue sample. If he comes up empty-handed, he says, he'll ask Russian scientists to slip him some mammoth skin.

Read more: Scientist says he can clone long-extinct mammoth | Cutting Edge - CNET News

[John G. Scoggins]

I have a feeling there's already mammoths hidden away somewhere.

[Theakiki]

I can imagine pulling into a drive in restaurant and having a slab of those ribs thrown on a tray that's sitting on my side window.

[joshuaream]

I'd be really surpised if the Russian scientists haven't progressed this much farther than we think. They are working off a method of impregnating an existing Elephant with both frozen and created sperm to create a hybrid, which could then be bred with another hybrid, etc. The idea is that eventually you would get to a relatively pure Mammoth, and you can make do with less complete DNA.

Another species that has real potential for returning is the Woolly Rhinoceros. Frozen examples are much more common and some have been found in great preservation.

Pretty cool stuff if you ask me.

[rokdok]

Originally Posted by Theakiki

I can imagine pulling into a drive in restaurant and having a slab of those ribs thrown on a tray that's sitting on my side window.

LMAO--Fred.

[John G. Scoggins]

If you think about it, the Flintstones had the first "Green" car.

[arrow719]

Wouldn't it be easier to just glue a bunch of wool to an elephant?

[wiseshanks]

I read this today on yahoo news. Pretty sweet. I would love to be able to go to the zoo in the near future and see a wooly mammoth. It would kind of put into perspective the undertaking of putting down a mammoth in paleo times. Unreal...

[jdneill]

Pretty Interesting stuff...definately possible. Maybe a new flinstone movie is in the future!!!

[mootsman]

Originally Posted by John G. Scoggins

I have a feeling there's already mammoths hidden away somewhere.

Why? Do they harbor some secret weapon potential?

Originally Posted by joshuaream

I'd be really surpised if the Russian scientists haven't progressed this much farther than we think. They are working off a method of impregnating an existing Elephant with both frozen and created sperm to create a hybrid, which could then be bred with another hybrid, etc. The idea is that eventually you would get to a relatively pure Mammoth, and you can make do with less complete DNA.

This is out of my area of expertise (assuming I have one to be out of) but it would seem that the Japanese fellow would have a much quicker means of producing a Mammoth and a "pure" one at that. If he can retrieve a viable cell from frozen examples then the host mom would produce a Mammoth from the git-go if I'm reading this correctly. And what are created sperm?? Are they reconstructing the DNA of the sperm or what? Haven't read about that.