If not a mammoth, then a foal
Scientists have announced plans to clone an extinct horse species
Alexey Yevglevsky, Naked Science
A group of scientists from the Northeastern Federal University (NEFU) and the South Korean research center Sooam Biotech is going to clone a foal of the Lena horse, which was found in Yakutia in August 2018. This is reported by the publication The Siberian Times.
The foal's body was found in the thermokarst basin of Batagaika, located in the Verkhoyansky district of Yakutia. It belongs to an extinct species of horses, which are called Lena horses, as well as Chersky horses. They lived about 120 thousand years ago and became extinct about four to two thousand years ago. The age of the remains of the foal is estimated at 42 thousand years.
According to the director of the Mammoth Museum Semyon Grigoriev, the body is incredibly well preserved. At the time of death, the cub was one or two weeks old. He drowned in mud, which then froze and turned into permafrost. After the autopsy, scientists found a large amount of dirt and silt in his gastrointestinal tract. In addition, the autopsy revealed more interesting details. For example, perfectly preserved organs and muscle tissues, still showing a natural reddish color. At the same time, scientists managed to extract samples of liquid blood from the vessels of the heart. In addition, they reported finding hair on the animal's head and legs. According to them, this is a real sensation, since the previous remains of ancient horses did not have them.
Based on recent discoveries, Grigoriev believes that this foal is the best preserved animal of the Ice Age. However, the publication Gizmodo reminds that in 2013, on the Lyakhovsky Islands in Yakutia, scientists found the remains of a female mammoth, which also preserved liquid blood. But their age is much less than the age of the foal's body – 15 thousand years.
Now the university staff has teamed up with the South Korean research center Sooam Biotech, which specializes in cloning. On the part of the center, the work was headed by Hwang Woo Suk, who is known in connection with the scandal of 2006, when he was accused of falsifying the results of experiments. However, in March 2011, he successfully cloned coyotes and partially restored his reputation. In 2012, Hwang Woo-seok already collaborated with NEFU, wanting to clone a woolly mammoth, but this attempt ended in failure.
A detailed analysis of the foal began last month, the work will last until the end of April. During this time, scientists plan to grow viable somatic cells. The first 20 attempts failed, but the researchers are confident of a positive result. If this succeeds, the cloning will be carried out with the participation of the Yakut horse.
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