Breathing Life into Mammoths
By reconstructing ancient genes, scientists can re-create the proteins they encoded and observe how they behave, thereby gaining insights into the physiology of extinct animals. For instance, resurrection of the red blood cell protein hemoglobin from a woolly mammoth (below) has shown that the temperature-sensitive protein evolved adaptations that enabled it to do its job of delivering oxygen to body tissues in the cold conditions these beasts faced.
Click on a number to learn about each step in the process of resurrecting mammoth hemoglobin.
1. Sequence the gene fragments that encode the hemoglobin protein.
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2. Re-create functional mammoth hemoglobin genes by taking the intact corresponding genes in an Asian elephant and altering their sequences in three spots to match the mammoth sequences.
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3. Insert the modified genes into E. coli bacteria and trick them into producing mammoth hemoglobin
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4. Expose the purified hemoglobin to a chemical environment similar to that inside blood cells
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5. Observe how readily mammoth hemoglobin releases oxygen at various physiologically relevant temperatures
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