• Question: Do u think we can bring mammoths back because we found the diene of them and the body so

    Asked by anon-290752 on 22 Mar 2021.
    • Photo: Claire Price

      Claire Price answered on 22 Mar 2021:

      This is a difficult one. Scientists did find some mammoth DNA, but not all of it was any good to use. So scientists would have to use some DNA from its closest relative – the elephant. So what would be produced would be a mammoth/elephant mix. Then it would have to be incubated in the uterus of an animal similar to a mammoth – again an elephant, in order for the new mammoth to grow and live. So really with the technology and science we have at the moment we could really make a woolly elephant rather than a mammoth. This is the most likely animal we will de-extinct. But who knows where science and technology will take us

    • Photo: Lizzie Pendlington

      Lizzie Pendlington answered on 23 Mar 2021:

      Genetic engineering and other technologies are getting better everyday so I think it is possible. But like Claire said, it is not quite possible at the moment. I think scientists would also have to think about how the mammoth would be able to survive now as the Earth is a lot different to how it was when they went extinct! They would also need to look at the ethics as well so how fair it would be on the animals.

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