Woolly mammoth resurrection project receives $ 15 million boost

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Many believe that our future is in space, where one day humans will live across the solar system.

Armed with the know-how, some scientists want to revive ancient animals. This begs the question we know all too well in “Jurassic Park”: should you be doing something just because you can?

The exploration of space has led to technology that now defines our daily lives. What can we learn from the potential success or failure of a species’ resurrection?

It’s a delicate balance – and as we’ve also learned, life finds a way.

Back to the future

A new bioscience and genetics company, Colossal, has raised $ 15 million to bring the woolly mammoth back from extinction. This mammoth model is exhibited in France.
Scientific efforts to resuscitate the woolly mammoth, which went extinct 4,000 years ago, have just received a boost of $ 15 million.
A group of geneticists led by George Church at Harvard Medical School envision the wandering mammoth once again in its natural habitat.

The goal is to use genetic engineering to create a living elephant-mammoth hybrid that resembles a woolly mammoth. Supporters of the project believe the beasts could help restore the arctic tundra ecosystem and preserve the endangered Asian elephant, the woolly mammoth’s closest relative.

This bold plan is fraught with ethical issues. Some scientists wonder if we know enough to make such an attempt – and the wider interest of such an endeavor. But the idea of ​​being close to a once extinct creature is enticing.

We are a family

If you’ve ever wondered what our Stone Age ancestors wore, you might think of the draped furs from “The Flintstones”. Actual evidence of when humans first started wearing clothes is scarce.

Researchers have discovered bone tools used to process animal skins in a Moroccan cave. Dated between 90,000 and 120,000 years ago, these artifacts may be the first indirect evidence of clothing in archaeological records.

Neanderthals and humans likely had to contend with freezing temperatures, but the climate along Morocco’s Atlantic coast was mild at the time.

This means that clothing made from sand foxes, golden jackals, and feral cats may have been used for ornamentation and style in addition to practicality. Yabba-dabba-doo at that!

Defy gravity

The civilian crew of the Inspiration 4 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. On September 15.
The first-ever Earth orbit mission with an all-tourist crew launched Wednesday night, and SpaceX’s Inspiration 4 flies higher than the International Space Station as it orbits Earth.

The team includes a billionaire who self-funded the mission, a cancer survivor, a teacher and a Lockheed Martin employee. The crew will land off the coast of Florida on Saturday.

SpaceX is hoping this will be the first of many similar tourist missions, creating a future where it’s as common to take a space jaunt as it is to jump on a plane.

The launch coincided with Yom Kippur. The history of observing religious practices in space is actually decades long and rich in anecdotes.

Go green

Each day presents a new challenge linked to the ongoing climate crises. The ozone hole that forms over the South Pole every year is now larger than Antarctica. Intense and record high temperatures occur regularly and have an impact on our health.

There are no quick fixes to these problems, but researchers are approaching them creatively.

To combat the environmental damage caused by animal droppings, scientists keep cows clean. Yes, cows.

When livestock droppings enter the soil, ammonia turns into nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas. But cattle are smart, and they love treats. You would be surprised how many cows were happy to use a latrine during what the study team dubbed “MooLoo training”.

A long time ago

A female spider and her egg sac were trapped in Burmese amber.

Ancient discoveries allow us to understand the various creatures that lived long before humans – and sometimes they allow us to peek inside their behavior.

Drops of tree resin trapped female spiders and baby spiders in amber around 99 million years ago, forever showing the fierce protection still seen in spider mothers today.
This extinct bird with tail feathers 150% longer than its body was probably a clumsy thief, but showy feathers could have helped it find a mate.
Sometimes the mysteries of the story are hidden inside a living creature, like the prehistoric artifacts found deep within the belly of this massive alligator. And the researchers were able to determine the fascinating history of the objects.

Discoveries

You will not believe your eyes :

– A stunning gold mask dating back over 3,000 years is just one of hundreds of relics found in sacrificial pits in southwest China.
– This boldly rainbow-colored insect has been given a name that honors a fabulous celebrity. Oh, so fly.
– These groundbreaking experiments could help humans travel to deep space – and they were designed by students.

And don’t forget to keep an eye out for the full harvest moon on Monday night.

Do you like what you read? Oh, but there is more. register here to receive the next edition of Wonder Theory, brought to your inbox, brought to you by writer CNN Space and Science Ashley Strickland, which finds wonders in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries of the ancient world.



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