Woolly mammoths could be one step closer to roaming the Earth again after scientists made history by extracting the world’s oldest-ever RNA from a 39,000-year-old frozen specimen
Woolly mammoths may make a comeback as scientists make groundbreaking advances in genetic research. The oldest-ever RNA from a 39,000-year-old specimen was extracted, revealing new insights into the extinct giant’s biology.
Swedish researchers have unveiled a major scientific milestone. They have successfully extracted the world’s oldest RNA from a mammoth preserved in Siberian permafrost.
RNA is a molecule found in all living things that helps turn the instructions in our DNA into real-life actions, like building muscles or growing hair. While DNA stores all the information about how our bodies work, RNA runs things.
As a result, without RNA, our DNA would just sit there unused, so both are needed to keep our bodies running properly.
While DNA has long been the focus of de-extinction efforts, RNA, responsible for turning genetic blueprints into functioning proteins, offers a more dynamic look at how ancient creatures actually lived and functioned. Until now, scientists believed RNA degraded too quickly to survive in ancient specimens, report The Telegraph.
However, the Stockholm University team managed to recover high-quality RNA from 10 mammoth remains, with one specimen, known as Yuka, yielding particularly valuable results. Yuka’s RNA, which is more than twice as old as the previous record-holder, reportedly allowed scientists to examine which genes were active in the animal’s muscles.
This provided insight into its metabolism and biological functions. According to lead author Dr Emilio Mármol Sánchez, this breakthrough gives researchers a much clearer understanding of mammoth biology.
Consequently, the observation goes beyond what DNA alone can reveal by showing how genes were expressed and regulated. Although the specific RNA fragments found aren’t immediately useful for bringing mammoths back to life, the discovery reportedly proves that ancient RNA can be recovered and studied.
As a result, this paves the way for future research into the traits that made mammoths such a unique species, such as their distinctive hair and skin. The team subsequently identified over 300 protein-coding RNAs and 60 microRNAs in the mammoth’s muscle.
This discovery reportedly indicates similarities with modern elephants. The scientists also confirmed Yuka was male and had muscle suited for endurance rather than bursts of speed.
According to the Telegraph, the researchers say that by analysing this ancient RNA, they may have captured a snapshot of the mammoth’s last moments, offering new hope for understanding, and possibly reviving, these Ice Age giants.
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