Mammoths

[ysabetwordsmith]

First ever 3D reconstruction of 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth chromosomes thanks to serendipitously freeze-dried skin

An international research team has assembled the genome and 3D chromosomal structures of a 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth -- the first time such a feat has been achieved for any ancient DNA sample. The fossilized chromosomes, which are around a million times longer than most ancient DNA fragments, provide insight into how the mammoth's genome was organized within its living cells and which genes were active within the skin tissue from which the DNA was extracted. This unprecedented level of structural detail was retained because the mammoth underwent freeze-drying shortly after it died, which meant that its DNA was preserved in a glass-like state.


This is so exciting! :D 3q3q3q!!!!

Not only is it useful for de-extinction efforts, it alerts scientists to look for a new type of preserved remains that may exist for other species, mainly those that share mammoths' preferences for cold dry climates.

Comments

[siliconshaman]

There's a bunch of Andean Mummies that would be ideal candidates for this! Not sure if it would be of any use other than as a technical challenge, but it could be done I suspect.

[acelightning73]

Oh, you want to reconstruct a primeval llama? :-)

[siliconshaman]

No, no.. a dead Lamia! Not a Dalai Lama!

[acelightning73]

Most of the better-known lineages of Lamas are reincarnated for every generation. Other Lamas practice divination to determine who, where, and when a new incarnation is born, so they can take the child to Lhasa to be educated for the position. Analyzing the DNA of previous incarnations might teach us something about the reincarnation procedure.

[siliconshaman]

and the Myans had similar beliefs about reincarnation as the Tibetans. But they preserved their Lamas by sacrificing them to the mountain gods, ie, sending them up the mountain to freeze to death and thus remain preserved for eternity.

Now you get my point!!

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Excellent point. That could be very illuminating about the history of human colonization of the Americas.

Re: Yes ...

[siliconshaman]

Yup, perfectly preserved samples dating back hundreds or even thousands of years.

[see_also_friend]

If it would work on other sorts of mummies, that might open options for deserts and peat bogs.

No ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

It is specific to rapid freeze-drying.

Re: No ...

[see_also_friend]

Okay...I do remember something about gene-sequencing Egyptian mummies, but that's probably a different process.

There's a lot of different genetic sequencing tests, I suppose.

Re: No ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

You can get fragments from a lot of different remains. This was a nearly-complete 3D set.

Re: No ...

[see_also_friend]

Its disappointing the others won't work, but there's still lots of cool potential megafauna to analyze and/or clone.

Re: No ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

It gives us a new avenue to explore, though -- we know where to look for other specimens of different species that might have been similarly preserved. That's super useful.

[galadhir]

Iirc there are environments still which are desperately in need of giant ground sloths, because their chief fertilizer is giant ground sloth dung. It would be good if we could get some of those back!

Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

There are a lot of trees that miss the mammoths.

https://arboretum.harvard.edu/stories/anachronistic-fruits-and-the-ghosts-who-haunt-them/

But ground sloths? *sigh* We ate them all. They were delicious.

Since humans can't quit poaching the little megafauna we have left, I doubt reconstructed ground sloths would survive.

Re: Well ...

[galadhir]

LOL! I don't know, we've discovered farming since then. If they were that tasty, maybe we could domesticate them :)

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Hm.

Upside, they are sloths. Most are really phlegmatic. Some are more pugnacious, so depends what type you can get back.

Downside, they all have enormous claws and a huge reach, like twelve feet on some. They could slice you like a loaf of bread without even meaning it.

Best hunted by standing way back and peppering them with spears. Pit traps work if you can get a sloth into one. A mammoth you could run up and hamstring, if you were crazy enough, pin it down and finish it off. A sloth, the danger isn't charging, it's those damn arms.

Am I in favor? Hell yes, they're delicious. Slow growing but a truly massive amount of meat on one.

One of my characters who's a gengineer reconstructed a ground sloth.

Re: Well ...

[galadhir]

Oh yeah, I mean I was thinking of farming them once we had genetically re-engineered them. So in the modern day when we could approach by helicopter or jeep, maybe figure out a way of herding them with drones and pick them off with long distance weapons. If they're that tasty and that difficult to handle, it's going to be a high end luxury food that only the rich can afford, which will pay for all the technology needed.