(PCM) For many years researchers and scientists have been attempting to find a way to bring back the mysterious and extinct Woolly Mammoth and they now claim to be closer than ever to making that goal a reality. In fact, scientists are now saying that we could once again see a hybrid species of the great Woolly Mammoth once again roaming the earth within the next ten years.
Scientists at Harvard have been working diligently over the last few years with a gene-editing program called Crispr to combine the DNA of an elephant with that of an extinct Woolly Mammoth. The new creature would be called a “mammophant”, which would be an elephant that features a good number of Woolly Mammoth traits such as long shaggy hair and the ability to exist in sub-zero temperatures, as well as, have specially adapted blood.
The process of “de-extinction” is quite controversial, as many feel that nature has already taken it’s course and animals should not be “brought back” so to say, however advocates of the process feel that we should explore the technology and possibly get some answers to exactly what may have happened to these majestic creatures in the first place. There has always been some debate over just why Woolly Mammoths became extinct in the first place, with some believing that humans evolution played a big role and others feel it was strictly environmental factors.
The scientists began the project to resurrect the Woolly Mammoth back in 2015 after a fully preserved Woolly Mammoth carcass was discovered frozen in a Siberian tundra. The scientists were able to obtain some of the Woolly Mammoths DNA and continuously add to it to bring this creature back to life. The team is hoping to grow an embryo in an artificial womb and are confident they should be able to complete that task within the next ten years.
It is a concern of some that the Woolly Mammoth is not fit to survive in today’s climate conditions or would not be accepted by a herd of elephants in the wild, however the Harvard team feels that it is important to give this animal hybrid a fighting chance. What do you think? Should we bring back the Woolly Mammoth or just leave well enough alone?
