Scientists on the verge of creating hybrid elephant and mammoth

An elephant-mammoth hybrid, genetically engineered without tusks and hardy enough to survive away from Africa or India, could be the key to tackling poaching, scientists believe.

Dozens of mammoth genes have been resurrected by scientists at Harvard University, who are about to publish the first plans to create an artificial womb in which to grow their creation.

Professor George Church, the world-renowned geneticist, and his team have spent the past 11 years recreating the DNA blueprint of the extinct mammoth and are finally ready to release four papers setting out their research.

Using DNA from mammoths preserved in Arctic permafrost, they have found 44 genes that carry traits separating them from elephants, such as a shaggy coat and "antifreeze" blood, which allowed them to survive the Ice Age.

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They are hoping to save endangered elephants by creating more hardy mammoth hybrids that can live further north. They also plan to insert non-mammoth genes, which would prevent the animals growing tusks, to prevent poaching, as well as new DNA to allow them to eat a wider diet.

"My goal is not to bring back the mammoth, it's to bring back mammoth genes and show that they work. We have got 44 mammoth genes that have been resurrected," he told The Sunday Telegraph during the Unite To Cure Fourth International Vatican Conference in Vatican City.

"If we get this thing out into the wild, it will be more than just a cold-resistant elephant, it won't be limited to mammoth genes.

"We're putting in genes that reduce the tusk size to prevent poaching, making them so they can eat a broader range of plants.

"We want something that can adapt to a different environment so we save two ecosystems, one is the elephant ecosystem and the other is the tundra."




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