The woolly mammoth vanished from the Earth 4,000 years ago, but now scientists say they are on the brink of resurrecting the ancient beast in a revised form, through an ambitious feat of genetic engineering. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Our aim is to produce a hybrid elephant-mammoth embryo, said Prof George Church, the scientist leading the de-extinction effort. Actually, it would be more like an elephant with a number of mammoth traits. Were not there yet, but it could happen in a couple of years. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Church said that these [genetic] modifications could help preserve the Asian elephant, which is endangered, in an altered form. However, others have raised ethical concerns about the project. <\/p>\n
Matthew Cobb, professor of zoology at the University of Manchester, said: The proposed de-extinction of mammoths raises a massive ethical issue the mammoth was not simply a set of genes, it was a social animal, as is the modern Asian elephant. What will happen when the elephant-mammoth hybrid is born? How will it be greeted by elephants? <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Church predicts that age-reversal will become a reality within 10 years as a result of the new developments in genetic engineering. <\/p>\n
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog\/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post:Woolly mammoth on verge of resurrection, scientists reveal <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
See more here: The woolly mammoth vanished from the Earth 4,000 years ago, but now scientists say they are on the brink of resurrecting the ancient beast in a revised form, through an ambitious feat of genetic engineering. Our aim is to produce a hybrid elephant-mammoth embryo, said Prof George Church, the scientist leading the de-extinction effort. Continue reading
\nWoolly mammoth 2.0 could be walking the Earth within 10 years - Genetic Literacy Project<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"