Which reports the British newspaper The Guardian. The hairy elephant species died out about 10,000 years ago. It is not the first time that modern science has toyed with the idea of bringing the animal ‘to life’. With the raising of 15 million dollars, things are really moving forward for the first time.
cross DNA
The money was collected by the brand new company Colossal, which wants to focus on life science and genetics research.
–
–
The elephant DNA is modified by adding mammoth characteristics such as thick hair and a thick layer of fat, both protecting against the cold.
Embryos from the cross are then introduced to Asian elephants, which are in danger of extinction. If that doesn’t work, the choice falls on artificial wombs.
New habitat
If everything goes according to plan, Colossal hopes that the first calves will be born in six years’ time. One of the initiators tells The Guardian that the goal is to ‘create a cold-resistant elephant that behaves and looks like a mammoth’.
There is also criticism from a scientific angle the research, whose goal is not only to bring back the woolly mammoth, but also to give the Asian elephant new habitat on Siberian tundras.
Among other things, there are doubts about whether existing elephants will mate with the ‘new’ mammoths.
–
–
