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Scientists hope to clone extinct species
by Stefanie at 9:44 am EST, Nov 6, 2008 |
TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Japanese scientists have produced clones of mice that have been dead and frozen for 16 years -- a feat that could lead researchers to one day resurrect long-extinct species, such as the mammoth.
"This is the first time a mammal has been cloned from a sample stored at conditions reasonably close to what might be expected in permafrost," Teruhiko Wakayama, who led the study, said in a statement. "(It) gives some hope for those who might seek to clone extinct species from frozen carcasses."
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RE: Scientists hope to clone extinct species
by ollu at 1:52 am EST, Nov 10, 2008 |
Cloning in biology is the process of producing populations of genetically-identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Scientists hoping to clone prehistoric woolly mammoths are preparing,their first frozen DNA samples in a bid to revive the species. The specimens of bone marrow, muscle and skin were unearthed last year inthe Siberian tundra where they had been preserved in ice for thousands ofyears Researchers at the Gifu Science and Technology Centre and KinkiUniversity want to use the genetic material in the cells to clone a woolly mammoth, said Dr Akira Irytani, a scientist at Kinki University in western Japan.Until now, scientists have only been able to produce clones using cells from live animals. This is how researchers created Dolly the Sheep, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult animal.Researchers had thought that frozen cells were unusable because ice crystals would have damaged the DNA. That belief would rule out the possibility of resurrecting extinct animals from their frozen remains.
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