Scientists have recently dug an extremely well-preserved baby mammoth out of the Siberian permafrost. The estimated-six-month-old female was discovered by a reindeer herder and is, by far, the best preserved specimen ever found by scientists.
My six-year-old son thinks elephants and (especially) mammoths are the coolest animals ever in the history of animals, so this one caught my eye.
Two things jump out of the BBC story at me:
- Scientists are seriously talking about cloning a mammoth, either by combining DNA from a find like this one with a close relative like an Asian elephant, or by straight-out cloning from the DNA from a find like this. They're talking like it's no big deal. I saw Jurassic Park. I know this is a big deal.
- Apparently, people are stumbling over mammoth carcasses all the time in Siberia. There is a booming trade in illicit mammoth ivory and body parts. I had no idea...
While I'm a little concerned about cloning and reproducing a species which died out at least 5,000 years ago, and trade in illicit body parts of any kind (man, beast, whatever) gives me the heebies big time, this is a fascinating story. I can't wait to tell my son.
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