Frozen Baby Woolly Mammoths Unveil Prehistoric Pachyderm Secrets
Two perfectly preserved baby woolly mammoths, Lyuba and Khroma, who lived over 40,000 years ago, have provided valuable insights into the development and lives of these prehistoric pachyderms. Full-body CT scans of their skeletons have allowed for a comparative study of their skeletal development, shedding light on the changes that occur as a mammoth body develops. Mitochondrial DNA analysis of Lyuba's remains has revealed how mammoth populations spread and diversified across the Northern Hemisphere. While efforts to extract DNA for de-extinction purposes continue, a startup called Colossal aims to create a woolly mammoth-Asian elephant hybrid to rewild the Arctic tundra and potentially mitigate the impact of climate change.