"Baby Mammoth Corpse Found in Siberia
Reuters
Posted: 2007-07-11 13:29:41
Filed Under: Science
MOSCOW (July 11) - The discovery of a baby mammoth preserved in the Russian permafrost gives researchers their best chance yet to build a genetic map of a species extinct since the Ice Age, a Russian scientist said on Wednesday.
"It's a lovely little baby mammoth indeed, found in perfect condition," said Alexei Tikhonov, deputy director of the Russian Academy of Science's Zoological Institute, which has been taking care of the mammoth since it was uncovered in May.

"This specimen may provide unique material allowing us to ultimately decipher the genetic makeup of the mammoth," he said.

The mammoth, a female who died at the age of six months, was named "Lyuba" after the wife of reindeer breeder and hunter Yuri Khudi who found her in Russia's Arctic Yamalo-Nenetsk region.

She had been lying in the frozen ground for up to 40,000 years, said Tikhonov.

The hunter initially thought the mammoth was a dead reindeer when he spotted parts of her body sticking out of damp snow.

When he realized it was a mammoth, scientists were called in and transported the body to regional capital Salekhard, where she is now being kept in a special refrigerator.

Treasure Trove for Scientists

Weighing 110 pounds, and measuring 33 inches high and 51 inches from trunk to tail, Lyuba is roughly the same size as a large dog.

Tikhonov said the fact the mammoth was so remarkably well-preserved -- its shaggy coat was gone but otherwise it looked as though it had only recently died -- meant it was a potential treasure trove for scientists.

"Such a unique skin condition protects all the internal organs from modern microbes and micro-organisms ... In terms of its future genetic, molecular and microbiological studies, this is just an unprecedented specimen."

But Tikhonov dismissed suggestions the mammoth could be cloned and used to breed a live mammoth. Cloning can only be done if whole cells are intact, but the freezing conditions will have caused the cells to burst, he Tikhonov.

Tikhonov said the next stop on Lyuba's odyssey would be the Zoological Museum in Russia's second city of St Petersburg.

There, Lyuba will join a male baby mammoth called Dima who was unearthed in Magadan in Russia's Far East in 1977 and until now was Russia's best-known example of the species.

"They will make a nice couple, both roughly aged 40,000 years," Tikhonov said.

From St Petersburg, Lyuba will go to Jikei University in Japan to undergo three-dimensional computer mapping of her body. The mammoth will then return to St Petersburg for an autopsy before being put on display in Salekhard.







http://news.aol.com/story...01#cmntbgn

Look at the cool pics...anyone else thinks this is cool. It's in perfect condition, so cute...hope it didn't suffer.

Very cool. Brings back memories of reading the Mammoth Hunters (great book and series).

It looks like a sculpture in this picture.

AnckSuNamun said:

Thats totally amazing

[Edited 7/11/07 12:25pm]

thought this was about the electronic band Baby Mammoth

Whatever happened to the large one they found back in 2000. Remember they had a complete discover channel/ natinal geograpic show about it. At the time, it was the first complete mammoth that they ever found will fur and complete organs in tact. When they found it they dug it out of the permafrost and left it in a Huge Block of ice that was airlifted away. Their plans were to slowly thaw out the mammoth and try to extract DNA to clone it.

It is now 7 Years later and I ain't heard shit about it.

I've Googled it and searched the Discovery Channel and Nat Geo Websites and found NOTHING.

Does anybody remember this????

what's with all this genetic entropy??

all my ancestor's were bigger and stronger. the woolly mammoths, dinosaurs, big-ass penguins, birds, insects, everything, you name it.

We're dwindling into nothing. The genetic code is deteriorating.

How did they get so big in the first place, right off the bat, only be on this downward trend of poodles, mini-penguins, wee-lizards and feeble humans?

unlucky7 said:

fuck is that dude listening for?

IT'S DEAD!!!

Insert mp3 of the song Elephant Walk here.


M

Milty said:

yeah I was wondering what they were doing...listening for a heart beat.