In fact, before the revival of mammoths, it's like walking to the moon…
Geneticists announced the resurrection of mammoths
Tape.<url> according to The Sunday Times: Scientist takes mammoth-cloning a step closerAmerican geneticists reported a scientific breakthrough: they managed to insert 14 genes of extinct mammoths into the DNA of an elephant.
This was announced in an interview with The Sunday Times newspaper by the head of the research team George Church (George Church) from Harvard.
Scientists used the CRISPR genome editing tool. "We worked primarily with the genes responsible for the survival of the body in low temperatures: the genes of wool, large ears, subcutaneous fat and, above all, hemoglobin. Now we have healthy elephant cells with fragments of mammoth DNA at our disposal. We have not yet presented the results of this experiment in a peer–reviewed scientific journal, but we are going to do it in the near future," the geneticist said.
Church is one of the most prominent opponents of cloning mammoths with the help of remains found in permafrost. The scientist considers it more reasonable to gradually recreate the entire genome of ancient animals – based on DNA fragments preserved in permafrost, which are inserted into the cells of their closest relatives – Indian elephants.
According to Church, mammoths (and even their inaccurate copies) will play an important role in stabilizing the ecosystem of the Siberian tundra, which is threatened by the melting of permafrost.
However, not all scientists support the resurrection of mammoths. "Now African and Indian elephants are already threatened with extinction. Why bring back another elephant from the other world when we can't even save living species from extermination? It is better to spend money on protecting what we have, rather than on an animal that disappeared thousands of years ago," said Professor Alex Greenwood, an expert on ancient DNA.
Using the CRISPR tool, scientists have also learned how to circumvent the fundamental laws of genetics and pass mutations to the next generation with 97 percent efficiency. This was reported on March 19 by the journal Science.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru23.03.2015