Mammoths to be Revived? Researchers Sequence Complete Genome

The awe-inspiring Woolly Mammoth in natural history museums may make its way in flesh soon if scientists have their way.

A new study published Thursday details the complete genome sequence of 4,000-year old extinct species from two specimens, one, among the last to have died on Wrangel Island and the other dating to around 45,000 years. According to BBC, the sequencing was done to understand the animal's living conditions, population health and conditions that may have hastened its extinction.

Among the key findings are two major population bottlenecks in the species' population. The researchers also concluded that the population on Wrangel Island witnessed significant inbreeding.

"The processes leading up to species extinctions are typically characterized by prolonged declines in population size and geographic distribution, followed by a phase in which populations are very small and may be subject to intrinsic threats, including loss of genetic diversity and inbreeding. However, whether such genetic factors have had an impact on species prior to their extinction is unclear," researchers wrote in the journal Current Biology.

The DNA sequence of the mammoth is expected to fuel several projects striving to bring back the extinction species. These endeavors involve inserting mammoth genes into elephant eggs to create a mammoth-like creature. Future efforts could see researchers insert mammoth genes into embryos or create embryos from mammoth cells to clone the extinct species. A DNA sequence could hasten such efforts as it serves as a step-by-step instruction guide.

Biologists who have argued against de-extinction say that mammoths belong to an ecosystem long gone. Additionally, creation of just one animal could condemn it to a life of loneliness in captivity.