This week noticed the discharge of some fascinating information about some very furry rodents—so-called “woolly mice”—created as a part of an experiment to discover how we would someday resurrect the woolly mammoth.
The thought of bringing again extinct species has gained traction because of advances in sequencing of historical DNA. This historical genetic knowledge is deepening our understanding of the previous—as an example, by shedding gentle on interactions amongst prehistoric people. However researchers have gotten extra formidable. Relatively than simply studying historical DNA, they need to use it—by inserting it into residing organisms.
As a result of this concept is so new and attracting a lot consideration, I made a decision it might be helpful to create a document of earlier makes an attempt so as to add extinct DNA to residing organisms. And for the reason that expertise doesn’t have a reputation, let’s give it one: “chronogenics.” Learn the complete story.
—Antonio Regalado
This text first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Expertise Evaluation’s weekly biotech e-newsletter. To obtain it in your inbox each Thursday, and skim articles like this primary, enroll right here.
In case you’re curious about de-extinction, why not try:
+ How a lot would you pay to see a woolly mammoth? We spoke to Sara Ord, director of species restoration at Colossal, the world’s first “de-extinction” firm, about its large ambitions.
+ Colossal can be a de-extinction firm, which is attempting to resurrect the dodo. Learn the complete story.
+ DNA that was frozen for two million years has been sequenced. The traditional DNA fragments come from a Greenland ecosystem the place mastodons roamed amongst flowering crops. It might maintain clues to find out how to survive a warming local weather.
This week noticed the discharge of some fascinating information about some very furry rodents—so-called “woolly mice”—created as a part of an experiment to discover how we would someday resurrect the woolly mammoth.
The thought of bringing again extinct species has gained traction because of advances in sequencing of historical DNA. This historical genetic knowledge is deepening our understanding of the previous—as an example, by shedding gentle on interactions amongst prehistoric people. However researchers have gotten extra formidable. Relatively than simply studying historical DNA, they need to use it—by inserting it into residing organisms.
As a result of this concept is so new and attracting a lot consideration, I made a decision it might be helpful to create a document of earlier makes an attempt so as to add extinct DNA to residing organisms. And for the reason that expertise doesn’t have a reputation, let’s give it one: “chronogenics.” Learn the complete story.
—Antonio Regalado
This text first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Expertise Evaluation’s weekly biotech e-newsletter. To obtain it in your inbox each Thursday, and skim articles like this primary, enroll right here.
In case you’re curious about de-extinction, why not try:
+ How a lot would you pay to see a woolly mammoth? We spoke to Sara Ord, director of species restoration at Colossal, the world’s first “de-extinction” firm, about its large ambitions.
+ Colossal can be a de-extinction firm, which is attempting to resurrect the dodo. Learn the complete story.
+ DNA that was frozen for two million years has been sequenced. The traditional DNA fragments come from a Greenland ecosystem the place mastodons roamed amongst flowering crops. It might maintain clues to find out how to survive a warming local weather.