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Most of Woolly Mammoth Genome Reconstructed

geekmansworld writes "From the Washington Post, 'An international team of scientists has reconstructed more than three-quarters of the genome of the woolly mammoth using DNA extracted from balls of hair, the first time this has been accomplished for an extinct species.' Who wants a pet mammoth?"

24 of 245 comments (clear)

  1. Just to get it over with quickly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I for one welcome the new hirsute elephantine overlords

    1. Re:Just to get it over with quickly by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 3, Funny

      In Soviet Russia, woolly mammoths reconstruct you!!!

  2. apparently... by owlnation · · Score: 2, Funny

    the numbers of woolly mammoths has tripled in the past six months...

    1. Re:apparently... by SebaSOFT · · Score: 1, Funny

      Actually it went from 0.0 to 0.666666

    2. Re:apparently... by genner · · Score: 2, Funny

      the numbers of woolly mammoths has tripled in the past six months...

      They're breeding.....nature finds a way.

      Ummm....where's that helicoptor.

  3. Mammoth hairballs? by Farmer+Tim · · Score: 5, Funny

    And I thought cats were disgusting...

    --
    Blank until /. makes another boneheaded UI decision.
    1. Re:Mammoth hairballs? by Norwell+Bob · · Score: 5, Funny

      Better than mammoth ball hairs.

    2. Re:Mammoth hairballs? by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Just give me an elephant, a hot glue gun, and shitload of brown wigs and I'll recreate the wholly mammoth for a lot cheaper than these scientists.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    3. Re:Mammoth hairballs? by Kentari · · Score: 2, Funny

      Or get a very funny Darwin Award...

  4. Just fill in the remaining genes by oodaloop · · Score: 4, Funny

    with those from the Tasmanian Devil ala Jurassic Park. What could possibly go wrong?

    --
    Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
  5. Re:Not quite there yet by sakdoctor · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just download god's genome checker.

    [x] Automatically fix chromosome errors
    [x] Scan for and attempt to recover bad base pairs

  6. This is huge! by wytten · · Score: 5, Funny

    It could be the solution of how how to maintain legacy systems in generations to come. They just need to start mapping the genes of a COBOL programmer.

    1. Re:This is huge! by Thanshin · · Score: 2, Funny

      > They just need to start mapping the genes of a COBOL programmer.

      Why would you do that? They are evil!

      Little green scaly evil punks. Always with their traps and their "I'm dragon subtype I can reach godhood before level 6". Bah!

      Mark my words. You'll regret not having cloned griffins first.

  7. Re:oh great by tomhudson · · Score: 2, Funny

    and I just spent 20000g on my new mammoth mount

    In Soviet Russia, mammoth mount YOU!

    aka "Fatal Attraction 2".

  8. Re:Not quite there yet by UltimateRobotLover · · Score: 2, Funny

    I once saw a movie where they did this...what was it called...? MacArthur Park? No, that's not quite right ...

    You're thinking of Valley of the Cloneasaurus.

  9. Re:Now that we maybe can make a mammoth by oodaloop · · Score: 3, Funny

    You want us all to read a book/anthology just to get one joke? /Shakes head/ Only on slashdot...

    --
    Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
  10. Re:Not quite there yet by adamjaskie · · Score: 3, Funny

    We don't need them to melt in the dark when someone leaves them out in the rain.

    --
    /usr/games/fortune
  11. Insensitive Topic by Hasney · · Score: 2, Funny

    My g/f was looking over my shoulder and proclaimed she already had a pet wooly mammoth and looked at me :(

  12. The only important question by eclectro · · Score: 5, Funny

    Do they taste good??

    --
    Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
  13. Re:Not quite there yet by Alpha+Whisky · · Score: 5, Funny

    Your post advocates a

    (x) technical ( ) religious ( ) time travel

    approach to resurrecting extinct species. Your idea will not work. Here is why it won't work. (One or more of the following may apply to your particular idea, and it may have other flaws.)

    ( ) Possibility of creating mutant monsters
    ( ) We are defenceless against brute force attacks
    (x) People will not put up with giant stampy animals roaming about
    (x) The police will not put up with giant stampy animals roaming about
    ( ) Requires too much cooperation from organised religion
    (x) Requires immediate total cooperation from government regulators
    ( ) Time travel isn't possible
    ( ) Time travel into the past isn't possible without a wormhole which was (is) in the past already

    Specifically, your plan fails to account for

    (x) Laws expressly prohibiting it
    (x) Lack of centrally controlling authority for mad scientists
    (x) We haven't even sequenced the whole genome
    (x) Being sued by Michael Crichton's estate
    ( ) Asshats
    ( ) Jurisdictional problems
    ( ) Unpopularity of weird old animals
    ( ) Public reluctance to accept weird old animals
    ( ) Huge existing animals occupying the evolutionary niche of the old ones
    (x) Susceptibility of DNA to damage
    (x) We don't even know how many chromosomes it should have
    ( ) Unavailability of any living relatives to carry the foetus to term

    and the following philosophical objections may also apply:

    (x) Ideas similar to yours are easy to come up with, yet none have ever
    been shown practical
    (x) Religions will argue about playing god
    (x) Pointlessness of an animal adapted for an ice age during a period of global warming
    ( ) What's dead should stay dead
    (x) There are better things to spend the money on

    Furthermore, this is what I think about you:

    (x) Sorry dude, but I don't think it would work.
    ( ) This is a stupid idea, and you're a stupid person for suggesting it.
    ( ) Nice try, assh0le! I'm going to find out where you live and burn your
    house down!

    --
    it's = it is

    its = belonging to it

  14. Re:No pet mammoth for me by Whiteox · · Score: 2, Funny

    How about a furby?

    --
    Don't be apathetic. Procrastinate!
  15. Re:Now that we maybe can make a mammoth by irtza · · Score: 4, Funny

    I don't think you understand. The internet and slashdot was an elaborate ploy by Nivens to get more fans. He planted the ideas for the internet a long time ago and nurtured it until the web was born. He then planted the idea to create a forum for nerds. Once this was done he waited for critical mass and posted this line. Now people like me who stopped reading fiction some time ago, will see this name and investigate on the very same internet! Its rather brilliant. The only thing is that if we comply and read, then he will no longer have a use for the internet and will likely have it taken down (his purpose being completed). To prevent the destruction of this invaluable tool, I will boycott reading any further.

    and with my first paranoid rant done, I am ready to start my day!

    --
    When all else fails, try.
  16. Re:When did they die out? by Hognoxious · · Score: 2, Funny

    They surely must have had genetics to survive warm-ages?

    Genetics, no. Gillettes, yes.

    Sadly, things were a bit primitive back then. Instead of the 97 steel blades we have now there was only one - and made of flint at that. By the time the poor creatures had even one leg shaved, they'd died of heat exhaustion.

    And that, children, is why mammoths are extinct.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  17. Re:pricetag: $10 million, right now by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes, but smaller frontal lobes, which are what really matter.

    Yeah, well, that's a bit of a grey area.

    [ducks, runs]

    --
    Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?