Scientists revive ancient mammoth blood
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Scientists have brought back to life the blood of ancient mammoths and uncovered how the ancient mammals survived in freezing Arctic conditions.
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[www.nddaily.com] |
The researchers used DNA preserved in bones from Siberian specimens 25,000 to 43,000 years old to bring the primary component of mammoth blood back to life, according to studies published Monday in Nature Genetics.
In the process, researchers discovered that mammoths had developed an ability to cool their bodies down in extreme temperatures to reduce heat loss.
Three highly unusual changes in the protein sequence allowed the mammoth's blood to deliver oxygen to cells even at very low temperatures, something that indicates adaptation to the Arctic environment, Professor Roy Weber from the University of Aarhus in Denmark pointed out.
"It has been remarkable to bring a complex protein from an extinct species, such as the mammoth, back to life," said Professor Alan Cooper, Director of the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide, where the mammoth hemoglobin sequences were determined.
"This is true palaeobiology, as we can study and measure how these animals functioned as if they were alive today," Cooper added.
The scientists say the resulting haemoglobin molecules were no different than going back in time and taking a blood sample from a real mammoth.
"The principle is fairly simple, you could certainly do it on a variety of other species or other proteins, and you are able to access all sorts of these extinct species," Professor Cooper said.
