Investigation 2: DNARecreating the mammoth

THE MAMMOTH

Frozen mammoth corpses were found all over the world

A radiocarbon analysis showed that the wooly mammoth was in Northern Europe until just 14,000 years ago

The mammoth was previously thought to have died out due to over hunting, yet a new study showed that it was actually a change in climate and therefore a loss of food that killed the mammoth

EXTINCTION

The mammoth, unlike previously thought, did NOT die out due to over hunting. Instead the majority of the mammoths died out due to climate change, and therefore loss of food.

The mammoths lived off of grasses and grasslands, so with a climate change it killed these grasses causing the mammoths to become extinct due to lack of food.

MORE MAMMOTH

By further searching the mammoth’s corpse we discovered that it was much more than the mammoth’s wooly coat that allowed it to survive in winter and ice age climates, it was also hemoglobin in the mammoth’s blood! The hemoglobin acted as a “antifreeze” and allowed the cells to exchange more oxygen without more effort.

WHAT WE FOUND

By analyzing the mammoth’s body, we discovered that not only were the mammoths so similar to the elephant that we could breed the two, but that there may be a way to create a mammoth baby inside the elephant’s womb.

We also found a way to extract the RNA from the mammoth’s corpse, and recreate the mammoth’s blood

To recreate the blood, the scientists used DNA preserved in bones from frozen Siberian mammoths up to 43,000 years old.

The mammoth’s blood

The mammoth DNA sequences were converted into and inserted into E. coli bacteria.

The bacteria recreated the mammoth protein.

“The resulting haemoglobin molecules are no different than ‘going back in time’ and taking a blood sample from a real mammoth,” said co-author Kevin Campbell, from the University of Manitoba in Canada.

Random mammoth facts

Mammoth’s get their name from the Russian mammut, the word for earth mole.

Until about 300 years ago mammoth bones were thought to be from giant races of humans.

The mammoth was around 13ft tall, about the same as the Asian elephant, yet they had a layer of wool up to 3ft long.

The mammoth’s tusks could be up to 16ft long.

Mammoth’s are hairy

DNA vs. RNA Like mentioned in the previous

Slide, we could recreate the blood

From the RNA found on the

Mammoth’s corpse. Here is a

Chart comparing DNA and

RNA.

STRINGING TOGETHER

On January 10th, 2010 US scientists announced that they had discovered 70% of the sequencing for the mammoth’s DNA.

They did this using the keratin in the mammoth’s fur hairs they had purchased on eBay.

ABOUT DNA

DNA is found in almost all organisms including humans, and Wooly Mammoths.

DNA is like the “blueprints” for the cell and the organism

DNA is a long molecule, of nucleotides strung together

DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic acid.

DNA

DNA is a large molecule made up of smaller molecules called nucleotides.

The nucleotides are strung together in specific orders, creating long DNA strands.

Each nucleotide has three parts, a sugar molecule, a phosphate molecule, and a structure called the nitrogenous base.

Nitrogenous base

In the nitrogenous base is the part of the nucleotide that carries genetic info.

The genetic information comes in four different types, adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine.

These are commonly represented by A, C, G, and T

These are what make up DNA

Genes

Genes are a length of DNA that has a code to create chemicals in the organism.

The DNA in genes usually has the code to make proteins

In the cell proteins break down food to release energy, organize and transport chemicals between cells

WORK SITED

http://scienceniche.com/life-science/the-woolly-mammoth-dna-sequenced-to-three-quarters.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/5559450/Woolly-mammoth-killed-off-by-climate-change.html

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/05/03/antifreeze-blood-gave-woolly-mammoths-a-survival-edge/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1270679/Scientists-step-closer-bring-mammoth-dead.html

WORK SITED

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1270679/Scientists-step-closer-bring-mammoth-dead.html#ixzz12iquckP1

http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/543ribose.html