Daily Mail UK – Russian academics signed a deal with a controversial Korean scientist to clone the animal. Hwang Woo-Suk – who created the world’s first cloned dog, Snuppy, in 2005 – will implant the nucleus from a mammoth cell into an elephant egg to create a mammoth embryo.
The embryo will then be implanted into an elephant’s womb. The Koreans say research could begin this year.
The agreement follows the discovery of mammoth bones with well-preserved bone marrow in Siberia last summer.
The Russian academics are already in negotiation with Japan’s Kinki University for joint research next year aiming to recreate the giant mammal.
So in a few years we could have live action version of the movie Ice Age.
Pleistoncene Park already exists in Siberia
Pleistocene Park is a nature reserve south of Chersky in the Sakha Republic in northeastern Siberia, where an attempt is being made to recreate the northern steppe grassland ecosystem that flourished in the area during the last ice age.
The effort is being led by Russian researcher Sergey Zimov.
Pleistocene Park is a 160 square kilometer scientific nature reserve (zakaznik), owned and administered by a non-profit corporation, Pleistocene Park Association, consisting of the ecologists from the Northeast Science Station in Chersky and the Grassland Institute in Yakutsk. The reserve is surrounded by a 600 km^2 buffer zone that will be added to the park by the regional government, once the animals have successfully established themselves.
Animals already present in the park:
Carnivores: Eurasian Lynx, Grey Wolf, Arctic Fox, Eurasian Brown Bear, Wolverine, Red Fox
Herbivores: Reindeer, Elk, Snow Sheep, Wood Bison, Moose, Yakut Pony
Animals considered or suggested for reintroduction:
Carnivores: Amur Leopard, Siberian Tiger, Asiatic Lion
Herbivores: Yak, Saiga antelope, Muskox, Bactrian Camel, Woolly Mammoth, Roe Deer.
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Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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