Hendrik Poinar, a molecular evolutionary geneticist in the department of anthropology and pathology at McMaster University, says his study involves the vital nuclear DNA within a Mammoth rather than the lesser mitochondria, on which the Nature study is based.
"Mitochondria is so 1980s. It only allows you to look at the maternal side of evolution," says Poinar. "The nuclear DNA we've mapped gives us our first glimpse at both sides of evolution. We can sequence Neanderthals, animals, plants. Basically, if we find a well-preserved specimen, we can sequence its genome."
The discovery occurred when Poinar extracted DNA from a well-preserved Mammoth specimen found in the Siberian permafrost, and sent it to his research colleagues at Penn State, who had just taken possession of the latest technology in genome sequencing. Within hours, his colleagues reported that the machine had sequenced 30 million base pairs, about one percent of the entire Mammoth genome. At this rate, it will take a year to map the entire genome, says Poinar. Funding is currently being sought for the completion of this project.
"We were stunned," says Poinar. "We immediately understood the magnitude of this discovery. Once you successfully sequence a genome, there are a million interesting questions one can begin to address. To acquire the genome of an extinct species is a rare feat. With this level of genetic data we can begin to look at genes to determine what makes a Mammoth a Mammoth. We can finally understand the subtle differences between a Mammoth and its closest living relative, the Indian elephant, but more importantly our discovery means that recreating extinct hybrid animals is theoretically possible."
Woolly mammoths, which have become symbols of the Ice Age, died out 10,000 years ago.
"Naturally there are ethical issues that come with a discovery of this magnitude, and McMaster is already planning the first conference devoted to the ethics of bringing extinct organisms back to life," said Mamdouh Shoukri, vice-president research and international affairs. "We have an obligation as scientists to explore and maintain the responsible use of research."
The study, to be published this week in Science, was funded by McMaster University, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Penn State University.
McMaster University, a world-renowned, research-intensive university, fosters a culture of innovation, and a commitment to discovery and learning in teaching, research and scholarship. Based in Hamilton, the University, one of only four Canadian universities to be listed on the Top 100 universities in the world, has a student population of more than 23,000, and an alumni population of more than 115,000 in 128 countries.
Please note that McMaster University will be closed from Dec. 23 to Jan. 2/06.
Photos and cutlines as follows:
- http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/images/Poinar_Dima.jpg
Hendrik Poinar, a geneticist with McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, has succesfully sequenced a portion of the genome from a woolly mammoth. Poinar is pictured with the remains of Dima, a baby woolly mammoth unearthed in 1977.(Photo credit: D. Poinar) - http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/images/YUKAGIRSIDE.jpg
Dick Mol, a paleontologist in Holland, and Bernard Buigues, curator of the Mammoth Museum in Siberia, examine the remains of a woolly mammoth. An international team of researcher, led by Hendrik Poinar of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, have successfully sequenced a portion of the genome of an extinct species. (Photo credit: A. Tikhonov)
For more information, please contact:
Jane Christmas
Office of Public Relations
McMaster University
905-525-9140 ext. 27988
chrisja@mcmaster.ca
Hendrik Poinar
Associate Professor, Anthropology
McMaster University
905-741-0896 (cell)
poinarh@mcmaster.ca
Journal
Science