Frozen sperm could resurrect extinct animals

[Martin]

Just need to find them now under all that arctic ice...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

Why this woolly bully could one day stalk the earth again
By JULIE WHELDON
Descendents of the woolly mammoth could once more walk the earth, new research suggests.
Scientists have found that frozen sperm taken from dead animals can be used to produce offspring.

If they could also get sperm from animals that have spent millions of years encased in ice, this suggests it might even be possible to create a modern-day version of once-extinct species.
In the case of the woolly mammoth - several of which have been found preserved in ice - this would mean impregnating its closest living relative, a female Indian elephant, to produce new offspring.

The idea is reminiscent of the hit movie Jurassic Park in which scientists brought dinosaurs back to life with disastrous consequences.
Fertility clinics already routinely freeze sperm to create embryos, however it has to be carefully stored to ensure that it does not degrade over time.
The new research found that it is possible instead simply to freeze whole male mice, or their reproductive organs, and use the sperm extracted from them to produce healthy babies.

In one test, sperm were retrieved from the bodies of mice that had been kept frozen at minus 20C for 15 years.
In other experiments the team found they were able to create healthy offspring using sperm extracted from frozen tests.
The study involved no hi-tech freezing procedures, said the Japanese scientists, led by Dr Atsuo Ogura from the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research in Ibaraki.
They said it was not known how long viable sperm could be frozen in animal bodies.

Resurrecting extinct animals
But the findings raised the intriguing prospect of resurrecting extinct animals that had remained frozen since the ice age.
Writing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists said: 'If spermatozoa of extinct mammalian species (eg woolly mammoth) can be retrieved from animal bodies that were kept frozen for millions of years in permanent frost, live animals might be restored by injecting them into oocytes (eggs) from females of closely related species.'

Equally they suggested, if a valuable animal died unexpectedly, their owners could simply freeze them and later extract sperm to allow them to father offspring after their death.
It is not the first time that scientists have contemplated the idea of bringing woolly mammoths back to life.

A Canadian and American team used remains of a mammoth found in the Siberian permafrost to map out part of the genetic code of the creatures, that stood 11ft tall and weighed seven tons.
Last December they announced they had managed to decode one per cent of the genome - 30million letters of the DNA extracted from a 27,000-year-old mammoth - in a few hours and should be able to complete the entire genome within around a year.
They said their work made it 'theoretically possible' to recreate species such as the woolly mammoth which became extinct some 10,000 years ago.
However they admitted they do not yet know how to do it.

[Swiss Miss]

... this is news?

*humming the tune to Jurassic Park*

Silly scientists, they ought to come up with something more original next time.

I don't take this finding seriously because if we can't approve stem-f-ing-cell-research or cloning, how on earth could we revive the woolly mammoth? Our society, namely the older people in it, really need to get with the times. I'm not saying exploit the technology that we uncover, but we really shouldn't be so fearful of it. In this case specifically though, I would not embrace the re-creation of the woolly mammoth though. That'd be a mess. Theoretically possible is good enough in my book. I'm wondering: what would be the point of bringing them back this time around anyway? So they can experience global warming and become extinct again??

In one test, sperm were retrieved from the bodies of mice that had been kept frozen at minus 20C for 15 years.

I'm thinking scientists went blind trying to examine that one. :p

[DansDarkSide]

There is no way this will get the go ahead. The reason we never allowed stem cell and cloning research is that people dont want to play god. This will be just like playing god. If they do get the go ahead I will put money on it that most of the big religous(sp?) will not allow it.

[DeaTHaBiT]

This is stupid, what would be the point of reviving a mammoth? Sure it would look kind of cool, but that about sums it up. This would never be allowed.

[waltky]

Human-animal hybrids...

Britain to allow creation of human-animal embryos
5 Sept 2007 - Britain's fertility regulator decided in principle Wednesday to allow scientists to create human-animal hybrid embryos for research purposes, as experts downplayed ethical concerns.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) gave the go-ahead to controversial plans to create "cytoplasmic" embryos, which merge a tiny bit of human DNA with eggs from animals such as cattle or rabbits. Scientists argue such research could pave the way for therapies for diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Applications to proceed with such work from researchers at Newcastle University in northeast England and King's College London can now be appraised by a licence committee in November. An HFEA consultation out earlier this week found people were "at ease" with the proposals once the possible implications had been explained.

An HFEA spokeswoman accepted public opinion was divided and said their decision was a tough one to make. "This is not a total green light for hybrid research, but recognition that this area of research can, with caution and careful scrutiny, be permitted," she said. The use and destruction of embryos in research is a highly sensitive subject in the United States, for political and religious reasons. US President George W. Bush has twice vetoed a bill seeking to allow federal funds for stem cell research as it would involve human embryo destruction.

Some experts backed the decision. "It does seem a little abhorrent at first analysis," said Newcastle University's Doctor Lyle Armstrong, who helped to create the world's first cloned human embryo in 2005. "But you have to understand we are using very, very little information from the cow in order to do this reprogramming idea. "It's not our intention to create any bizarre cow-human hybrid, we want to use those cells to understand how to make human stem cells better."

But not everyone was so pleased. Some "pro-life" and religious groups disagree with creating embryos with the intent to destroy them later. Anthony Ozimic, secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said the "pro-life" group deplored the decision. "This is not just a case of the 'yuk' factor -- there are grave ethical and moral objections. "All the evidence suggests that these embryos are essentially human. Yet they will be cannibalised and killed for their stem-cells. "These embryos may have some human characteristics, and some animal traits. No-one can say what ethical status they will have."

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[waltky]

New stem cell technique may be ethical...

Japanese Scientist Creates "Ethical" Embryonic Stem Cells
Friday, August 31, 2007 - The stem cell debate-specifically the harvesting of embryonic stem cells through fertilized eggs-has been a heated battle involving scientists, the medical community, the religious right, and even, improbably, Michael J. Fox and Patricia Heaton. Which is what makes news of a possible alternative a huge development.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, a Kyoto-based orthopedic surgeon and stem cell scientist, claims to have discovered an innovative way to transform simple mature skin cells into faux embryonic stem cells, thereby bypassing any prickly moral issues. In the June issue of Nature, Dr. Yamanaka published a paper revealing an experiment he'd done on lab mice in which the addition of certain genes "reprogrammed" adult cells into their earlier embryonic state. In non-nerd terms, that's what we like to call a Huge Freakin' Deal.

Why? Firstly, these stem cells could one day be used to create viable organ tissue that could be used for transplants on human patients-no kidney dialysis, no mile-long waiting lists, and no Denny dying on "Grey's Anatomy." That outcome, however, is likely a long way off from occurring.

More immediately, the cells could also be used by drug companies as a way to test their medications for side effects without involving humans as guinea pigs. Dr. Yamanaka suggests that a drug company could create experiment-ready tissue simply by transforming skin samples provided by its employees. That development could spell safer medical testing and, potentially, more effective pharmaceutical drugs.

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[waltky]

Species restoration might come in handy in the not too distant future...

Global warming will 'cull world's species'
October 24, 2007 - GLOBAL warming could cut a swathe through the planet's species over the coming centuries, warns a study released today which shows a link between rising temperatures and mass extinctions reaching back half a billion years.

Each of five major eras of declining biodiversity - including one in which 95 percent of the Earth's species disappeared - correspond to cycles of severe warming over the 520-million-year period for which there are fossil records. If emissions of greenhouse gas rise unchecked, the predicted increase in global temperature over the next several hundred years could fall within a similar range as these peaks, said the study, published in a British journal, Proceedings of The Royal Society B.

Previous studies have either looked for patterns in climate change or the causes of particular mass extinctions. But this is the first time the two been paired together to give a perspective over such a long time. "If our results hold for current warming - the magnitude of which is comparable with the long-term fluctuations in Earth climate - they suggest that extinctions will increase,'' said lead author Peter Mayhew.

The UN's top panel of climate scientists, which won the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this month, forecasts an average increase by 2100 of between 1.1C and 6.4C, compared to 1980-99 levels. The trio of researchers, led by Timothy Benton at the University of Leeds in northern England, used sea surface temperatures - extrapolated from fossilized records of the oxygen and acidity levels - to determine the fluctuations over tens of millions of years between "greenhouse'' and "icehouse'' periods.

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