'Closer than people think': Woolly mammoth 'de-extinction' is nearing reality — and we have no idea what happens next

6 extinct species that scientists could bring back to life | Woolly mammoths: Facts about these extinct, shaggy beasts that once roamed the Arctic | World War I British warship that sank in a surprise U-boat attack 110 years ago discovered in North Sea Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( September 2, 2024 CONNECT WITH LIVESCIENCE  [Facebook]( [X](  [LIVESCIENCE]( Amazing science every day [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [WEBSITE](   Top Science News [] ['Closer than people think': Woolly mammoth 'de-extinction' is nearing reality — and we have no idea what happens next]( (Images by Vac1 and WLADIMIR BULGAR Getty Images; Collage by Marilyn Perkins) ['Closer than people think': Woolly mammoth 'de-extinction' is nearing reality — and we have no idea what happens next]( For about seven minutes in 2003, scientists reversed extinction. The resurrected lineage was the Pyrenean ibex, and the last known member of the subspecies, a female named Celia, had died three years earlier. Scientists had collected DNA from Celia's ear before her death and injected her genetic material into a domesticated goat egg cell with its nucleus removed. The resulting clone — the first and only extinct creature to have been revived at the time — died soon after birth due to a lung defect. Although that effort failed to produce a healthy animal, "de-extinction" science has advanced dramatically in the past two decades. Technology is no longer a significant hurdle to reviving recently extinct species, and in many cases, we have enough DNA to piece together functional genomes for cloning. The question isn't so much whether we can resurrect lost species but if we should. Some companies aren't waiting to answer that question, with plans already in the works to bring back iconic extinct species like the dodo, the Tasmanian tiger and the woolly mammoth. [But a catastrophic outcome cannot be ruled out](. [Read More]( [] - [6 extinct species that scientists could bring back to life]( [] - [Woolly mammoths: Facts about these extinct, shaggy beasts that once roamed the Arctic]( [] History & Archaeology [] [World War I British warship that sank in a surprise U-boat attack 110 years ago discovered in North Sea]( (Simon Kay/Lost in Waters Deep) [World War I British warship that sank in a surprise U-boat attack 110 years ago discovered in North Sea]( HMS Hawke sank after an explosion caused by an enemy torpedo, with the loss of more than 500 of its crew. [Read More]( [] Space [] [NASA discovers planet-wide electric field around Earth that's shooting bits of our atmosphere into space]( (NASA) [NASA discovers planet-wide electric field around Earth that's shooting bits of our atmosphere into space]( NASA scientists have discovered a planet-wide electric field surrounding Earth, confirming a 60-year-old hypothesis. Studying the field could yield some vital information about how our planet's atmosphere has evolved. [Read More]( [] Animals [] [Burmese python eats even bigger reticulated python alive, in 1st-of-its-kind encounter]( (Adnan Azad) [Burmese python eats even bigger reticulated python alive, in 1st-of-its-kind encounter]( When two top predatory animals come into contact, anything can happen. One eating the other whole, though, is certainly unexpected. [Read More]( [] Physics & Math [] [The universe had a secret life before the Big Bang, new study hints]( (ESA) [The universe had a secret life before the Big Bang, new study hints]( The secrets of black holes and dark matter could lie before the Big Bang, a new study of "bouncing" cosmology hints. [Read More]( [] Daily Quiz [] Researchers on an Arctic expedition believe that which organism might be a promising new source of antibiotics? Learn the answer [here](. [Vote]( [Polar bears]( [Vote]( [Arctic moss]( [Vote]( [Deep-sea microbes]( [Vote]( [Walruses](   [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Cookies Policy]( | [Terms and Conditions]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:livescience@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE]( [Future]( Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036