Scientists have identified sections of the DNA of mammoths responsible for wooliness, cold tolerance and other features of ancient animals.

As previously reported , specialists from the Harvard Medical School were able to decipher the complete mammoth genome, and at once two individuals. Thanks to this, scientists were able to study some features of the species, including the path of development and formation of the species. As it turned out, shaggy mammoths appeared about 700,000 years ago, in Siberia. Then the population of mammoths spread throughout Eastern Europe and North America. At the same time, judging by the DNA, mammoths almost died out 280 thousand years ago and about 12 thousand years ago. At the very end of existence, the mammoth population was reduced to 1 thousand individuals. The last mammoths lived in Siberia about 6 thousand years ago, until intraspecific crossing did not lead to the complete extinction of mammoths.

Now the study continues , and all new teams of specialists join the research. Thus, a team of scientists from the University of Chicago conducted a deep sequencing of the genomes of not only two mammoths, but also three Asian elephants, which are the closest relatives of their furry ancestors. In addition, a more distant relative of mammoths, the African elephant, was used in the work.

As it turned out, 1.4 million variants of genes are unique for mammoths. Gene changes in mammoths were closely related to the metabolism of body fat, wool growth, skin development, and so-called insulin signaling. In addition, mammoths, as far as can be judged, have a unique sensation of temperature changes and daily rhythm. All this led to the fact that animals tolerated strong cold and not bad features of changes in the modes of illumination in the polar regions. Scientists were able to identify and genes that are responsible for the shape of the skull, small ears and short tails.
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Experts managed to recreate the TRPV3 gene, characteristic of mammoths. After transplantation of this gene into living cells, it turned out that the protein produced reacts to heat less than the TRPV3 characteristic of the genome of modern elephants. And when TRPV3 was turned off in mice, animals began to prefer cool rooms, plus the hair became wavy.

An interesting point is that the experts who conducted the study do not consider it necessary to “resurrect” the mammoths.