Not elder law: scientists can map the woolly mammoth genome…

The thick coats of shaggy hair that kept woolly mammoths warm on theicy tundra have yielded enough intact DNA to sequence their genomes, anew study reports.  Inaddition to helping scientists figure out why mammoths went extinct,the feat could pave the way for better and faster genetic studies ofother ancient animals.  Scientists obtained ten completemitochondrial genomes using tufts of hair from mammoths that diedbetween 50,000 and 12,000 years ago in what is now northern Siberia, aregion of Russia.  MitochondrialDNA is passed from mother to offspring, so it helps scientists sort outlineages, determine genetic diversity, and address other populationmysteries.  Beforethis study, only seven mitochondrial genomes from extinct animals hadbeen created: four from ancient birds, two from mammoths, and one fromthe mammoth’s elephant-like relative the mastodon.  The DNA usedto create such genomes usually comes from bone or muscle, which degradequickly and are easily contaminated with genetic material from othersources such as bacteria.  The process of finding enough uncontaminated DNA to piece together a complete genome from bone or muscle can take several years.

Source/more:  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/09/070927-mammoth-hair.html

Can Jurassic Park be far behind???