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'Closer than people think': Woolly mammoth 'de-extinction' is nearing reality — and we have no idea what happens next (www.livescience.com)

submitted 2 months ago by floofloof@lemmy.ca to c/science@lemmy.ml

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[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

i mean they'd be birthed by elephants, presumably they'd also live with elephants at first.

start with making sure the things actually stay alive, then move onto making them act like mammoths properly.

[–] hex@programming.dev 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Hmm good point. For some reason I just assumed they'd grow it in a tube.

edit: you're right, this is from the article:

To produce the calves, Colossal scientists will first identify the genes encoding the woolly mammoth's most emblematic physical traits, such as shaggy hair, curved tusks, fat deposits and a dome-shaped cranium. They will then insert these genes into the genome of closely related, and therefore genetically similar, Asian elephants (Elephas maximus).

So they're basically gonna create a new type of mammoth (basically) by gene editing an existing species..