![3D genome extracted from 'freeze-dried' woolly mammoth](https://www.americanmarconiwirelessnews.com/media/shared/articles/0f/e5/2d/3D-genome-extracted-from--freeze-dr-220611.jpg)
-
Humpback whale freed from Sydney Harbour after 22-hour ordeal
-
Harris vows 'new way forward' for America as she accepts nomination
-
Pacific leaders confront 'polycrisis' of rising seas and climbing tensions
-
UK Labour's move to tax private schools stirs passions
-
Taiwan leader urges unity on Chinese attack anniversary
-
Takeaways from the Democratic National Convention
-
Can Ligue 1 arrest decline after summer of crisis?
-
Harris accepts Democratic nomination with pledge of 'new way forward'
-
Alibaba to upgrade Hong Kong listing amid profit drop
-
Asian stocks slip with Wall St ahead of Powell, yen rises
-
Bayern plot to recapture Bundesliga with Leverkusen in crosshairs
-
Harris accepts Democratic nomination with vow to unite America
-
Conte and Napoli reeling after horror Serie A start
-
Indian desert school's unique design offers respite from heat
-
China's 'throwing eggs' card game wins fans and official censure
-
Volcano erupts in Iceland, sixth since December
-
Paris Paralympics to showcase best of disability sport
-
Bosnia volleyball team sets sights on Paralympic glory
-
Mbappe ready for Bernabeu bow as Ancelotti seeks Madrid balance
-
Australia tackles poor Great Barrier Reef water quality
-
Indian PM Modi to advocate 'peace' on historic Ukraine visit
-
NATO airbase in Germany raises security level over 'potential threat'
-
US Fed chair expected to signal support for rate cuts
-
Venezuela top court confirms Maduro's disputed reelection
-
Once 'canceled,' The Chicks take center stage at Democratic Convention
-
Harris vows to be 'president for all Americans' in convention climax
-
Influencers get VIP treatment at US Democratic National Convention
-
French prosecutors request trial in Depardieu rape probe
-
Influencer Andrew Tate placed under house arrest in Romania in new probe
-
Canada government steps in to end crippling freight rail shutdown
-
Harris poised for joyful star turn at Democratic convention
-
'I love him': Flag-waving Russians rally for pro-Putin pop star
-
Venezuela apex court confirms Maduro's disputed reelection
-
Chelsea give Maresca first win in Conference League
-
Fearing Trump, LGBTQ Americans out in force for vote
-
Apple to let iPhone users in Europe delete its App Store
-
Tebogo tops 200m, Wanyonyi on fire in mixed night for Olympic champs
-
Israel in Gaza talks in Egypt as fighting rages
-
Combining climate measures key to slashing emissions: study
-
Harris to formally accept Democratic nomination
-
England's Hull out in front after first round of Women's British Open
-
Ingebrigtsen claims revenge on Hocker in Lausanne 1500m
-
World's second largest diamond found in Botswana
-
US Open draw raises prospect of Sinner-Alcaraz rematch
-
Smith edges England ahead in first Test against Sri Lanka
-
Venezuela high court confirms Maduro's reelection after fraud claims
-
'Crazy love': Afghans overjoyed to watch star cricketers on home turf
-
Putin accuses Ukraine of trying to attack Kursk nuclear plant
-
Nestle CEO Schneider to step down after eight years at helm
-
Pakistan top court amends religious freedom ruling after protests
![3D genome extracted from 'freeze-dried' woolly mammoth](https://www.americanmarconiwirelessnews.com/media/shared/articles/0f/e5/2d/3D-genome-extracted-from--freeze-dr-220611.jpg)
3D genome extracted from 'freeze-dried' woolly mammoth
About 52,000 years ago, the skinned hide of a Siberian woolly mammoth was exposed to conditions so frigid that it spontaneously freeze-dried, locking its DNA fragments into place.
In a study published Thursday in the journal Cell, scientists reported using this remarkable sample to reconstruct the animal's genome in three dimensions -- a breakthrough that could yield important new insights about extinct species and even boost efforts to bring them back to life.
Until now, ancient DNA specimens have only been found in short, scrambled fragments, severely limiting the amount of information researchers could extract.
"Now we show that, at least under some circumstances, it's not just those snippets of that DNA that survive, but they survive in such a way that preserves the original arrangement," co-author Olga Dudchenko, a geneticist at Baylor College of Medicine, told AFP.
Understanding the 3D architecture of an organism's genome —- the complete set of its DNA -- is crucial for identifying which genes are active in specific tissues, revealing why brain cells think, heart cells beat, and immune cells fight disease.
It was long assumed that due to the rapid degradation of very small particles, such information would inevitably be lost to history.
But around a decade ago, an international team of scientists set out to find an ancient sample where the 3D organization of the DNA remained intact such that it could be fully reconstructed with a new analytical technique.
Their quest led them to an exceptionally well-preserved woolly mammoth sample, excavated in northeastern Siberia in 2018.
Whether the hirsute pachyderm -— a female with a distinctive mullet-style hairdo -- died naturally or was killed by humans is unknown. However, it does appear that early humans skinned her, leaving tissue around the head, neck, and left ear intact, according to Dudchenko.
- Woolly mammoth jerky -
The team hypothesizes that the skin cooled and dehydrated, transitioning into a glasslike state that trapped its molecules in place and preserved the shape of its chromosomes, or the threadlike structures that hold DNA strands.
Essentially, they had discovered a piece of freeze-dried woolly mammoth jerky.
To test the resilience of jerky, they subjected lab-made and store-bought beef jerky pieces to a series of tests simulating the kind of damage ancient samples might encounter over millennia.
"We fired a shotgun at it. We ran over it with a car. We had a former starting pitcher for the Houston Astros throw a fastball at it," said Cynthia Perez Estrada, co-author of the study and a researcher at Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University.
The jerky would break into tiny bits, shattering as dramatically as window glass at times. "But at the nano-scale, the chromosomes were intact, unchanged," said Perez Estrada in a statement.
One significant discovery from their research established that mammoths had 28 pairs of chromosomes. The finding aligns with the 28 chromosomal pairs found in elephants, the closest living relatives of mammoths, "but before this study, it was anybody's guess," said Dudchenko.
- 'Fossil chromosomes' -
The team's analysis also identified several "candidate" genes which might be responsible for what made woolly mammoths woolly -- including a gene responsible for long, thick eyelashes, and another associated with sparse sweat glands.
Erez Lieberman Aiden of Baylor College of Medicine, who co-led the team, told AFP that while the researchers' goal was not to bring mammoths back, the information they gleaned could be used for such efforts.
A Japanese team is looking at cloning woolly mammoths, while a group in the United States is aiming to create genetically "mammothized" elephants.
Within the skin, "96 percent of genes are basically in the same activity state as an elephant," said Aiden, meaning that scientists working on de-extinction could now focus on the remaining four percent.
The team now hopes that the benefit of their study will extend far beyond their special sample and open a new chapter in paleogenetics if other such "fossil chromosomes" can be found.
The Arctic permafrost remains a promising place to look, and it is also possible that mummification from ancient civilizations in warmer climates could preserve genomic structures too, according to Dudchenko.
Th.Berger--AMWN