The woolly mammoth named Lyuba, which had been buried in mud for 42,000 years, has made its first public appearance in the United States at The Field Museum in Chicago.
According to scientists, Lyuba is a woolly mammoth that lived during the Ice Age, 42,000 years ago. She was discovered in 2007 by a reindeer herder in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug in northern Siberia, Russia. The mammoth was named after the herder’s wife.
Scientists beside the woolly mammoth Lyuba.
Lyuba has been remarkably preserved thanks to being buried deep under layers of ice for thousands of years. Additionally, her surface is protected by a type of lactic acid produced by naturally occurring bacteria.
Scientists believe that the young mammoth was about one month old when it died from asphyxiation after falling into a swamp near a river. Lyuba measures 1.14 meters in length and weighs 42 kilograms. When fully grown, she could have reached a height of 2.4 meters and weighed between 3 to 4 tons.
Researchers from the Department of Paleobiology at Michigan State University have conducted CT scans, MRIs, and DNA analyses on Lyuba.
Moreover, stomach analyses revealed traces of maternal milk. Residues found on her tusks and molars provided accurate information about her diet, environment, and overall health.
Lyuba is considered the only well-preserved specimen of a woolly mammoth from the Ice Age. Scientists value Lyuba highly for its potential contributions to research on human history, Earth’s climatic systems, and climate change over the ages.
Can Woolly Mammoths Be Revived?
Of course, wherever DNA is found, there will be those eager to fill the Jurassic Park.
The preserved remains of the woolly mammoth Lyuba under layers of ice. (Photo: Francis Latreille).
In 2021, Colossal, a startup co-founded by renowned geneticist George Church, received $15 million in funding for efforts to bring the woolly mammoth back to Earth. The company aims to create a hybrid of the Asian elephant with woolly mammoth traits.
This “hybrid” is said to “move like a woolly mammoth, look like one, sound like one, but most importantly, it will be able to thrive in the same ecosystem that previously led to the extinction of the woolly mammoth.”
Although some question the ethics of this goal, the aforementioned company believes that rebuilding the Arctic tundra with mammoth hybrids could prevent or even reverse the impacts of climate change in the region.
Ben Lamm, CEO and co-founder of Colossal, stated: “Humanity can harness the power of this technology to rebuild ecosystems, heal our Earth, and preserve its future by resurrecting extinct animal species.”
Only time will tell if such projects will succeed.
Beth Shapiro, a paleobiologist, told the New York Times that she feels the revival of the woolly mammoth “is a long way off.”
However, with discoveries of well-preserved specimens like Lyuba, we have a clearer insight than ever into these ancient giant creatures (and who knows, they might even be creatures of modern times).
