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Scientists have discovered liquid blood in the carcass of an extinct foal kept for 42,000 years in the Siberian permafrost, announced today.
It is believed that this is the oldest blood ever found in the world – and reinforces the hope of reviving the prehistoric Lenskaya extinct horse species for a long time.
The discovery was made by an international team of scientists who also hope to be able to clone the extinct woolly mammoth from frozen genetic material in permafrost in the future.
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An image shows the blood of the ice age in a test tube of a Yakutsk laboratory, the coldest city in the world. The discovery was made by an international team of scientists who also hope to be able to clone the extinct woolly mammoth from frozen genetic material in permafrost in the future.
Dr. Grigoryev, head of the Mammoth Museum in Yakutsk, said the autopsy on the foal shows "beautifully preserved internal organs". The prehistoric horse baby died of drowning at the age of less than two weeks, he said
They have already revealed that they were "confident of their success" in extracting cells from this former foal in order to clone his species and bring it back to life.
Dr. Grigoryev, head of the Mammoth Museum in Yakutsk, said the autopsy on the foal shows "beautifully preserved internal organs".
The prehistoric baby horse died from drowning, less than two weeks old, he said.
"Liquid blood samples were collected from the heart vessels and kept in liquid form for 42,000 years thanks to favorable landfill and permafrost conditions," he said. .
"Muscle tissue has retained its natural reddish color.
"We can now claim that it is the best preserved ice age animal ever found in the world."
Dr. Grigoryev revealed that the foal is in exceptional condition without any visible damage.
"This is extremely rare for paleontological discoveries because some of them are either incomplete, fragmented, with severe body deformities, or highly mummified," he said.
There is no artist's impression of the exact species Lemskaya – to which the 42,000-year-old colt belongs – but it is thought that it resembled this represented colt, descended from modern times, the Yakutian horse.
The foal had been dug into the permafrost last summer, but the blood was only extracted on February 28th. His discovery was kept secret until today.
It is believed that this is the oldest blood ever found in the world – and reinforces the hope of reviving the prehistoric Lenskaya extinct horse species for a long time. In the photo, researchers analyze the foal's blood sample
The work is so advanced that the team would have already chosen a surrogate mother for the historic role of giving birth to an ancient horse
The international research team is led by South Korean professor Hwang Woo-suk, a cloning specialist, who is also closely involved in efforts to use the remains of woolly mammoths preserved in permafrost to revive giants.
& # 39; The foal's hair is intact on his head, paws and part of his body.
& # 39; His tail and mane are black, the rest of the foal's body is stuffed.
"To have preserved hair is another scientific sensation since all the previous horses have been found without hair."
Russian scientists are working with experts from South Korea's Sooam Biotech Foundation for research.
"Our studies showed that at the time of death, the foal was between one and two weeks old. So he was born recently, "said Dr. Grigoryev.
& # 39; As in previous cases of really well preserved remains of prehistoric animals, the cause of death sank in the mud that froze and turned into permafrost.
"A large amount of mud and silt that the foal swallowed in the last few seconds of his life were found in his gastrointestinal tract."
Michil Yakovlev, editor of institutional media at the university, said: "Let's hope the world will soon meet the clone of the old colt who lived 42,000 years ago."
The foal had been dug into the permafrost last summer, but the blood was only extracted on February 28th.
His discovery has been kept secret until today.
Six years ago, on the island of Malolyakhovskiy, blood dating back 28,000 years was found in a mammoth carcass.
Other samples – some older – taken from mammoths were found to be insufficient for cloning.
Scientists will use horses from the modern period that are closely related (similar to those of the extinct Lenskaya breed) and will live in the same area to act as the surrogate mother of the clone. This could be the first step in finding a way to restore the woolly mammoth for a long time and would look like these modern animals.
Scientists said to be "confident of their success" in extracting cells from an extinct 42,000-year-old foal in order to restore its prehistoric species, according to reports
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