An international team of scientists has sequenced the almost complete DNA of two Siberian woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) in a study published in the journal “Current Biology”. This research will help getting more information on the biological history of the mammoths and the conditions that led to the extinction of that species. It could also make it possible to recreate the mammoths in an unprecedented bioengineering operation.

The researchers obtained high-quality DNA from the remains of two individuals who lived more than 40,000 years apart. One of them lived in northeastern Siberia about 45,000 years ago. The other lived about 4,300 years ago on the Wrangel Island, in today’s Russia between the Chukchi Sea and East Siberian Sea, and was probably part of one of the last populations of mammoths that existed.

The DNA of the mammoths was fragmented so scientists had to use sophisticated genetic technologies to retrieve it. Only a couple of decades ago this type of research was on the edge of the impossible but today they can retrieve fragments of very ancient DNA.

Thanks to the most advanced genetic techniques, the researchers were able to get the best information ever collected on woolly mammoths’ DNA. This also allowed to analyze the differences between the two individuals and understand a little more about the history of their species and its final phase.

The DNA of the mammoth lived 4,300 years ago have genetic traits that show a inbreeding. This suggests that at that time the population of mammoths on Wrangel Island was reduced. It’s possible that among the reasons for the extinction of the mammoth there were climate change and hunting by humans. However, inbreeding may have contributed to the weakening of the species.

According to the genetic analyzes carried out, the mammoths had come close to extinction already about 300,000 years ago and then about 250,000 years ago but then they had recovered. The decline of the population at the end of the last ice age was fatal instead.

The Long Now Foundation would like to recreate the woolly mammoth by producing the DNA to be implanted into an elephant’s egg. It’s a controversial project because of ethical objections but also practical ones. An elephant should be kept in captivity and this is already a thing bad and complicated, even more for the need for assisted fertilization and pregnancy. Maybe one day there will be better ways to recreate mammoths or the efforts will be devoted to the currently existing species.