Sharjah24 – Reuters: Geneticists led by Harvard Medical School's George Church are seeking to bring the woolly mammoth back to life 4,000 years after its extinction, and have secured $15 million of investment, according to CNN.”
Supporters of the idea believe their return to the Arctic could help recreate a grazing ecosystem, trampling down and compacting snow, which makes it less likely to melt and release methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, according to the BBC.
Supporters also speculate that because ‘mammoths are like walking bulldozers’ they could be used to level forests and shrublands that have sprung up in the Arctic, which would mean sunlight-reflecting snow remains in those areas longer.
The Guardian explains that to recreate the woolly mammoth, scientists will add genes from frozen mammoth specimens to skin cells of Asian elephants.
An egg is then created in the lab and its nucleus is switched out for the skin cell that is mixed with the mammoth DNA.
One of the project’s backers said its goal is to have the first calves in the next four to six years. However, CNN spoke to two mammoth specialists who both expressed doubts about any impact the reintroduction of the mammoths could have on the climate.
For an optimal experience, please
