YAKUTSK, RUSSIA — Researchers found the body of a 42,000-year-old foal frozen in the Siberian permafrost. According to The Siberian Times, they are planning to bring its species back to life.
A group of scientists from Russia and South Korea want to clone an extinct horse species by extracting DNA from the frozen remains of a foal that died 42,170 years ago in Siberia.
The foal's body was found in the permafrost of a Siberian crater called Batagaika in Yakutia, Russia. It was found to be part of the Lenskaya breed which went extinct about 4,000 years ago.
The team has attempted to extract cells from the foal to create a cloned embryo. The extracted cells are first cultivated in a growth medium, a substance that encourages the growth of microorganisms. They are then placed in a CO2 incubator.
If successful, the embryo would be implanted in a South Korean horse. Scientists are also considering using a Yakut horse, an Eastern Siberian breed, as a surrogate mother.
According to Dr. Semyon Grigoryev, a leading researcher at the Mammoth Museum in Yakutsk, it is possible to successfully harvest DNA from the foal, stating, quote, "Fortunately, the animal's muscle tissues were undamaged and well preserved, so we managed to get samples of this unique find for biotechnology research.
The Siberian Times reports that the team has attempted to obtain usable cells over 20 times in the last month.
