Wooly mammoths roamed the icy tundras of Siberia and Canada up until about 10,000 years ago. Hunted to extinction by humans, and dying off due to climate change, these big, hairy behemoths may now have a second chance at life. Modern science has brought us closer than ever before to cloning the first wooly mammoth. But just because we can do it, does that mean we should? Many scientists and I say no. Cloning and its various related biotechnologies should be continued up until the point at which we can revive the mammoth, but we should never de-extinct the mammoth. To understand where this viewpoint comes from, it is best to first understand what you are dealing with, what you want to do, and why you would want to do it.
Mammoths first appeared on earth 6 million years ago, in Africa. Some started to migrate north to Europe and Asia about 3 million years ago. Mammoths started adapting to colder climates about 2.5
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They had dark brown hair that was up to about 3.28 feet (1 meter) long (Nicholls 3). Their backs were steeped upwards, rather than humped or saddle shaped (Cottrell 7). They had thick layers of fat to keep them warm. They also had smaller ears and shorter tails to minimize heat loss. They had enormous curved and twisted trunks for breaking ice, exposing vegetation, and warding off predators (Nicholls 3). Mammoths were also taller, ranging from about 9-11 feet (2.74-3.35 meters) tall, and weighed about 4-6 tons. Their head shape was different, too. They had a large, raised dome on the top of their head (Cottrell 7), kind of resembling Manny from Ice Age and its sequels. Everything about them was more adapted to the cold – even their blood. Their version of the blood protein hemoglobin, which releases oxygen to your cells, worked at much lower temperatures than elephant’s hemoglobin. This meant the mammoths could still deliver oxygen to their cells even when their extremities became cold (Nicholls