On the Siberian Lyakhovsky Islands, a team of scientists from the Russian province of Yakutsk witnessed a specimen of the extinct mammoth species bleed, and believe that the well-preserved tissue may contain living cells.
Expedition lead Semyon Grigoriev estimates that "the approximate age of this animal is about 10,000 years old." He tells the Siberian Times, "It has been preserved thanks to the special conditions, due to the fact that it did not defrost and freeze again," which would have damaged the animal's remains.
The researcher's discovery marks the very first time that mammoth blood has been obtained. A press release on the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakustsk's website suggests that the carcass's blood may have had "cryoprotective properties" which maintained the integrity of the mammoth's soft tissue in its ice casing.
"The blood is very dark, it was found in ice cavities below the belly and when we broke these cavities with a poll pick, the blood came running out," says Grigoriev. "Interestingly, the temperature at the time of excavation was -7 to -10 ºC. The team believes that the mammoth either "fell into water or got bogged down in a swamp, could not free herself and died."
While the legs and upper body, left hind leg, and head did not stand the test of time, "the lower part of the body, including the lower jaw, and tongue tissue, was preserved very well," explains Grigoriev. "We hope that at least one living cell of the mammoth was reserved, but even in such a good condition of the carcass the chances of this are small."
Back in October, a Russian boy discovered the corpse of a mammoth in Siberia as well, but despite intact reproductive organs, hair, and skin, the remains were found unsuitable for cloning.
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