Could wooly mammoths be revived by using modern dna-engineering- techniques on carcasses found in permafrost?

Answer 1

Cross species cloning has been done with the near extinct B. gaurs. They are being cloned into cattle oocytes using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Advanced Cell Technology's (ACT) researchers have completed the work on this species but they are working with an intact genome not fragments. Adequately restoring a genome to full chromosomal structure in a nuclear membrane is a much more complicated job
It may not be necessary, in the case of the mammoth, to go without the entire genomic sequence much longer. There is currently a new technique used on ancient DNA. Poinar et al. succeeded in sequencing ~1% mammoth genome with the rest to be completed by years end hopefully.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1123360v1
'Decoding of Mammoth Genome Might Lead to Resurrection' by R. Britt
http://www.livescience.com/animals/051219_mammoth_dna.html

This has brought ethics meetings into conference to debate the propriety of restoring extinct species. To further complicate the issue there is a group seeking viable frozen sperm to impregnate a female African elephant.
http://www.livescience.com/technology/050412_mammoth_effort.html

Answer 2

well, actually, it could be possible. but there would need to be a bunch of DNA taken from another type of animal, as DNA found frozen or preserved over years loses some very integral pieces that make it work, namely the enzymes responsible for making, changing and altering it.
You would need to probably take DNA from an elephant to fill in the missing pieces, and would definitely need to take elephant DNAenzymes like DNA lygase, polymerase, phosphodiesterase, etc to make it acutally work... but the process is actually not unheard of... and remember all these people keep saying "only in Jurassic Park"... that movie was made 10 years ago at least!!! DNA and specifically recombinant DNA technology (ability to get DNA into a host's genome) has come a LONG way since then.
So it is definitely possible, its not ethical whatsoever though.
I have studied genetics, and work as a chemist at a large biotech/pharm. corp in cambrige MA that does a lot of genetics research... some of the stuff that the geneticists do is incredible. Scientists would have already done this if there were big money in cloning wooly mammoths... but there is no money in that, so no one does it.... the money is in curing genetic diseases, so thats where the research is done.

Answer 3

I'm pretty sure they could, yes.

We could probably find sufficient DNA in these carcasses to replicate it and insert it into elephant egg cells, so an elephant would give birth to a mammoth.

The technology isn't there quite yet, but it's not far off. It certainly isn't science fiction as suggested above.

Incidentally, the main reason this can't be done with dinosaurs is that there is no reasonably intact, uncontaminated dinosaur DNA available like there is for mammoths.

Answer 4

Wooly mammoths are only extinct for about 10,000 years. DNA can survive that long.
Just recently I read that they managed to sequence the neanderthal genome.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061116083223.htm
So it's possible. As far as I know there are some scientists who are working on that.

Answer 5

I get where you're coming from but i should imagine most of them have thawed out and started to rot by now.

Answer 6

You have been watching Jurassic Park haven't you.

Answer 7

Now that would be interesting to see wouldn't it?

Answer 8

only in jurassic park....
nope not in real life! sorry!