Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Madhukar Kulkarni on December 8, 2011 at 12:20am

You mean, the other way round?

MADHUKAR KULKARNI.

Permalink Reply by Maruli Marulaki on December 8, 2011 at 9:02am

First they clone one, then maybe they clone a mate and start a mammoth herd.    Then it gets interesting.    

First comes a huge debate, if mammoths are pets or cattle, are they to be eaten or not?  Are they to be protected as pets?

Is the wool suitable for knitting mammoth sweaters as the ultimate luxury?

I wonder, how fierce those mammoths are.    Maybe there will be a mammoth park with mammoth rides, mammoths trained to do tricks and paint pictures like elephants?   

Permalink Reply by Alice on December 8, 2011 at 7:42pm

apparently the clone will be born with the age of the mammoth on it's death - so it won't live very long - especially if the mommoth died of old age.... 

also you can only get the same sex from a clone - so if it was a male mammoth - you will get two male mammoths.....  it's kind of hard to get same sex couples to breed - unless they are both female and you use a cell, instead of a sperm from one - then you have the problem of them both being clones and therefore identical - and so mixing genetic material won't get them very far - unless there is something about dna that I don't know - which is highly probable. :)

Permalink Reply by Maruli Marulaki on December 8, 2011 at 7:49pm

also you can only get the same sex from a clone

I know, but there may be another frozeb mammoth to be found, when the thawing continues.

the clone will be born with the age of the mammoth on it's death

but the cloned cell has to grow as any fertilized egg

Permalink Reply by Alice on December 8, 2011 at 11:15pm

yes - then they need to make sure and freeze some embryos in case it takes a while to find the next one - and hope that it's the opposite sex.

Permalink Reply by alexa penzner on December 9, 2011 at 3:33pm

i've read about this as i get the PHYSorg.com Newsletter, which has everything in it (you can customize it).  i have been hoping this could be done sometime soon.  imagine if we actually clone a dodo.  this is far from an easy task, but i'm hoping.  

btw - no animal would be born with tusks, horns, etc - it would be impossible to birth.

Permalink Reply by John Jubinsky on December 10, 2011 at 4:17pm

It might not happen in the very near future but I think the probability is high that it will happen.

Permalink Reply by Maruli Marulaki on December 10, 2011 at 4:23pm

It probably is a question of financing repeated or multiple attempts.   While my phantasies about mammoth parks, mammoth sweaters and mammoth steaks were not serious, any possible commercial use of a living mammoth or even a herd would certainly instigate financing the endeavor.  

Permalink Reply by John Jubinsky on December 11, 2011 at 2:14am

There are probably zoos throughout the world that would pay to have one or two. I assume the project is currently being financed by grants to the associated museum and university.

Permalink Reply by alexa penzner on December 11, 2011 at 1:49pm

here we are on the brink of a momentous scientific breakthrough and you guys are discussing finances and what will happen to the poor mammoths when they're born. plenty of institutions are willing to finance w/o this horrific talk - i really hate it.  i am soooooo tired of money talk, i could scream and break things!!!!!  the little guys will be well taken care of, you can bet it!  this is about science and caring - not making money and callousness, for pete's sake !

the baby mammoth

Permalink Reply by alexa penzner on December 11, 2011 at 1:52pm

sorry for being so pissed off - i just am . . .

Permalink Reply by Maruli Marulaki on December 11, 2011 at 2:09pm

I am only realistic.   Cloning a mammoth without enough funding will lead to scientific advance but the creature will not be taken good care of.   A creature of a mammoth's size will need a lot of food and space to be kept and this will be costly.  

Data about elephants:

http://www.wildlife-pictures-online.com/elephant-information.html

Life expectancy: 60 yrs

Intake is about 150kg wet weight per day while water intake is 120 litres a day for an adult bull.

Nobody would want a mammoth to be cloned and then killed, because nobody can afford to keep it alive.  So funding is important.  

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