Japanese Aim to Ressurect a Mammoth

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

I think it is both simpler and more complicated than some seem to think.

Mammoth are not from all that long ago, in evolutionary terms (IRC, the material the Japanese propose to use is from a 12K year old source; mammoth survived up until 5700 years ago on some Alaskan islands) and if they are not able to get complete 'mammoth' DNA they will have to 'fill in' with elephant.  The genes would have to be 'inserted' just as they are in genetically modified food species today.  In that case, you would end up with a genetically modified elephant - or a genetically modified mammoth, depending on the proportions. Neither one nor the other: potentially an elephant with odd morphology and extra hair or a bald mammoth with some elephant characterisitcs.  They won't know what to expect: the elephant genome has not been 'mapped', let alone deciphered, never mind the mammoths'!

And it seems to me the embryo, regardless of its genetic 'purity', would not be viable if it was not biochemically compatible with the host mother.  If chemicals pervasive in the mother's system were to be inherently toxic to the fetus, it would not survive to be born. Sure, some chemicals do not cross to the fetus in gestation, but surely some that would be 'new' to a mammoth would be present throughout the host mother's system.

Enough mammoth remains have been found that the diet of the mammoth has been quite well established as being primarily grasses.  I'd be very surprised if wild grasses have changed that much in the last 10K years, and they are still abundantly available.  As are the original environmental conditions.  If the baby survives the 'pollution' in the host mother's system, chances are good that the animal can eat whatever the mom can (elephants eat grass hay), when the time comes.

The cloning will be the hard part.

I understand you Newt.     Instead of using my earlier Pseudo-science, I should have stated more directly I'm against it more ethically then anything else.  It is just leading into some territory that I don't think we can handle at the moment.  Such ideas as resurrecting species and further the idea that such things will inevitably lead to cloning of humans which I don't think is a subject we can deal with now as a society. 

Cloning is definitely something we can't even touch, let alone other birthing topics like abortion. 

God forbid a MAN have an opinion on abortion, some women go ballistic. Funny considering we provide the batter for the cake.

Anyway, all politics aside, since cloned individuals apparently wind up at the same physiological age as the control model,  cloning a human would require very young and very healthy cells, (such as from an infant) to get the youngest and healthiest possible start in the life of the cloned individual.

And, that would probably wind up taking us into the same battle arena as the debate over stem cells did a while back. So many moral and ethical issues to ponder.

[Allhallowsday]

...God forbid a MAN have an opinion on abortion, some women go ballistic. Funny considering we provide the batter for the cake.

 

[Doggett]

...God forbid a MAN have an opinion on abortion, some women go ballistic. Funny considering we provide the batter for the cake.

 

I know you're confused, AHD



But I think he's talking about semen.
This is the first time I've ever typed that word down. Badmovies.org the only site that can make me type 'seamen'.

I bet it was Andrew's dream for this site all along... 

[Mr. DS]

Dogget...

Seaman

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seaman

Semen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semen

Just an FYI

[Doggett]

       


Well, I put that down to the fact that I never had to type it before (at least not since high school).

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

...God forbid a MAN have an opinion on abortion, some women go ballistic. Funny considering we provide the batter for the cake.

 

I know you're confused, AHD

But I think he's talking about semen.
This is the first time I've ever typed that word down. Badmovies.org the only site that can make me type 'seamen'.

I bet it was Andrew's dream for this site all along... 

The first time you've typed 'that word' down?

Oh my, your virgin fingers...

[Doggett]

But I think he's talking about semen.
This is the first time I've ever typed that word down. Badmovies.org the only site that can make me type 'seamen'.

I bet it was Andrew's dream for this site all along... 

The first time you've typed 'that word' down?

Oh my, your virgin fingers...

Well, actually they're not 'virgin' fingers.

I lost my finger virginity back in high school when...

WHOA

I ain't going down this road...   

[indianasmith]

Boys, boys, don't be naughty!!!

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

But I think he's talking about semen.
This is the first time I've ever typed that word down. Badmovies.org the only site that can make me type 'seamen'.

I bet it was Andrew's dream for this site all along... 

The first time you've typed 'that word' down?

Oh my, your virgin fingers...

Well, actually they're not 'virgin' fingers.

I lost my finger virginity back in high school when...

WHOA

I ain't going down this road...   

That's OK my friend..every girl I ever dated accused me of being an Italian communist,  because they told me I had "rushin' hands" and "roamin' fingers."   

   

[Doggett]

Well, actually they're not 'virgin' fingers.

I lost my finger virginity back in high school when...

WHOA

I ain't going down this road...   

That's OK my friend..every girl I ever dated accused me of being an Italian communist,  because they told me I had "rushin' hands" and "roamin' fingers."   

   

Ah, fun times. Fun times indeed.
How I miss those days.

Its hard to believe this thread used to be about cloning and mammoths ! 

I still think this thread is on the right side of 'clean'. But I bet its making the mods nervous ! 

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

Well, actually they're not 'virgin' fingers.

I lost my finger virginity back in high school when...

WHOA

I ain't going down this road...   

That's OK my friend..every girl I ever dated accused me of being an Italian communist,  because they told me I had "rushin' hands" and "roamin' fingers."   

   

Ah, fun times. Fun times indeed.
How I miss those days.

Its hard to believe this thread used to be about cloning and mammoths ! 

I still think this thread is on the right side of 'clean'. But I bet its making the mods nervous ! 

Making the mods nervous?  Maybe, but hey, someone's gotta keep em' on their toes, right? I think we're doing that just fine without being too bad, and hey, they get a little exercise in..

[Rev. Powell]

What if they went to all the trouble to try to resurrect them, and only then discovered that they don't taste good? 

Would that constitute a mammoth blunder?