Posted on 04/18/2005 8:08:56 AM PDT by Drew68
Scientists with the Mammoth Creation Project hope to find a frozen woolly mammoth specimen with sperm DNA. The sperm DNA would then be injected into a female elephant; by repeating the procedure with offspring, a creature 88 percent mammoth could be produced within fifty years.
"This is possible with modern technology we already have," said Akira Iritani, who is chairman of the genetic engineering department at Kinki University in Japan and a member of the Mammoth Creation Project. However, the DNA in mammoth remains found to date has been unusable, damaged by time and climate changes. "From a geologist's point of view, the preservation of viable sperm is very unlikely, and this is so far confirmed by the poor condition of cells in the mammoth carcasses," said Andrei Sher, Russian paleontologist and mammoth expert.
Woolly mammoths became extinct about 10,000 years ago as warming weather reduced their food sources. Although only about a hundred specimens have been found, as many as ten million mammoths are believed buried in permanently frozen Russian soil.
Irtani has already picked out a preserve for living mammoths in northern Siberia; this "Pleistocene Park" would feature extinct species of deer, woolly rhinoceroses and maybe even saber-toothed cats, along with the mammoths.
In his novel Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton popularized the idea of using dinosaur DNA taken from mosquito-like insects trapped in amber to create a Jurassic Park of recreated dinosaurs. Unhappily for the Pleistocene Park planners, both books and all three movies ended badly for most of the participants, including the investors. Also, astute scientists are already pointing out that these experiments would merely create mammoth-like creatures, not mammoths themselves. This wasn't pointed out until the third movie in the Jurassic Park series.
Read more at Woolly Mammoth Resurrection.
I agree. These scientists have way tooooooooooo much time on their hands. Why don't they spend their time researching a cure for cancer or somethings. Geez.
Now if they could just bring back McDonald's Deep Fried Apple pies!!!
Actually this can help cancer. Here is why, if they can splice Mammoth DNA onto another cell and produce a mammoth then imagine being able to spice healthy DNA onto the cells reproducing defectivly.
You have to do it at some broad point to be able to fine tune it to the organ level. They also have to deal with the fading that dali suffered.
I think you guys are worrying about the wrong end of the stick. It's more likely that a resurrected mammoth would be very susceptible to a modern existing bug that the mammoth bringing an ice age bug here to bug us.
Q: What's the difference between an Appalachian dulcimer and a hammered dulcimer?
A: A hammered dulcimer burns hotter; an Appalachian dulcimer burns longer.
That was highly amusing! Asimov had some fun with his theories in one of his non-fiction books.
Really? I hadn't heard that.
*NOT* easily. Required considerable effort in a lab, not just some critter out walking around.
There are numerous reports by Native Tribes that they hunted and killed mammoths into the mid-1700's in the Rockies and there are petroglyphs near the Colorado River IIRC.
What I meant was that once the procedure was complete, they, the bacteria revived very quickly, easily. I've actually had the pleasure of working with a few species of ancient bacteria. In some cases it takes only milliseconds for the ribosomal networks to become active.
Seems pretty silly to me that most of these scientists probably believe in evolution, yet aren't willing to leave its supposed results alone. They don't know the temperment of these creatures, but they're willing to risk human lives to revive a species that no longer fits the planet in its present state. How illogical and wasteful is that?
Just because we could do something, does not mean we should.
This just has disaster written all over it.
mmmmmm, woolly mammoth, aaaauuugggghhhh....
Homer J. Simpson
No progress is good progress, that about it? Were you peeing your pants when the first astronauts came back from the moon? Could have contaminated the planet with moon germs. Seriously.
Just because scientists believe in evolution does not mean they cannot tamper with the results.
They don't know the temperment of these creatures, but they're willing to risk human lives to revive a species that no longer fits the planet in its present state.
I would have to say that the risks to humans is probably quite small.
How illogical and wasteful is that?
Scientific progress has never been constrained by fear of risk. Throughout history great men have taken monumental risks in the name of science. There's nothing illogical about it. To be able to successfully clone extinct species of complex, multicellular organisms would be a scientific breakthrough of the highest order.
As far as wasteful? See my post# 124.
On the threat-to-children scale I'd put this somewhere between Nerf Balls and Pokémon. My kids'll be alright..
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