Woolly Mammoth Could Soon Be Resurrected

Scientist says extinct beasts could be back within 4 years
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 14, 2011 1:19 AM CST
Updated Jan 16, 2011 7:52 AM CST
Woolly Mammoth Could Soon Be Resurrected
This undated handout provided by ExhibitEase LLC shows a 3D computer generated Image of woolly mammoth emerging from ice block.   (AP Photo/Mammoth Genome Project, Steven W. Marcus)

Woolly mammoths could be walking the Earth again in as little as four years, according to a Japanese scientist. A technique pioneered in 2008 successfully cloned a mouse from the cells of a mouse frozen for 16 years, and the professor believes he can use the same technique to resurrect the mammoth, which has been extinct for 5,000 years.

"Now the technical problems have been overcome, all we need is a good sample of soft tissue from a frozen mammoth," the professor tells the Telegraph. He plans to travel to Siberia this summer to search for mammoths in the permafrost. When a suitable sample is found, he aims to use an elephant for the surrogate mother. He estimates the elephant can be impregnated within two years, followed by a 600-day gestation period. (More woolly mammoth stories.)

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