Scientists to bring the woolly mammoth back to LIFE after ground-breaking discovery
SCIENTISTS have discovered mammoth remains so well preserved that they could be used for cloning.
The Woolly Mammoth could soon be roaming the Earth again
The remarkable discovery has been described as a "major step forward" in the attempt to resurrect the long-extinct mammoth.
The researchers described the woolly mammoth remains as ripe for cloning after uncovering the first ever complete sample of mammoth DNA.
The ancient beast was found frozen in permafrost off the coast of Siberia in Russia - with its skin still amazingly intact.
A total of six mammoth carcasses, dating back to 10,000 years, were found on the Lyakhovsky Islands.
The research expedition also found the tusk of a pygmy mammoth, an extinct species of dwarf elephant.
The mammoth remains could be the first complete DNA sample
Scientists have long been trying to resurrect the mammoth
The unique discovery was made by the Project Mammoth Revival, a Russian-funded research venture which aims to clone the prehistoric creature.
The project is just one of several teams racing to produce a clone of a mammoth.
Scientists plan to combine cells from frozen woolly mammoth remains and an elephant egg, but have struggled to find high-quality 'living' cells - until now.
The carcass of old mammoth is a 'highly significant' find
Scientists are analyzing samples of the mammoth carcass
Expedition head Semyon Grigoryev said: "The skin is especially interesting for the 'Revival of the Mammoth' project.
"The Lyakhovsky Islands are considered to be the centre of the mammoth continent.
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"One of the world's greatest concentrations of mammoth remains is here, so we deliberately chose this area to carry out the research.
"Our Korean colleagues believe that skin is the best material for cloning attempts through finding viable cells."
Experts from around the world, including South Korea and the Netherlands, are continuing to examine the skin in a special laboratory in Yakutsk, Russia.