JOURNAL ARTICLE

Mammoth mummies up to 50,000 years old yield oldest RNA yet found: Ancient RNA promises to shed light on how genes functioned in extinct animals.

  • Published In: Sciencemag.org, 2025. P. N.PAG 1 of 3

  • Database: Applied Science & Technology Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Price, Michael 3 of 3

Abstract

The article discusses a groundbreaking study that successfully recovered ancient RNA from woolly mammoths mummified in Siberian permafrost, dating back 39,000 to 52,000 years. This research, published in the journal Cell, challenges the long-held belief that RNA degrades too quickly to be preserved over such extended periods. The findings suggest that ancient RNA can provide insights into the biology and gene expression of extinct species, potentially explaining traits such as the woolly mammoths' hair. The study opens new avenues for paleogenomics, encouraging further exploration of ancient RNA in other extinct organisms. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:Sciencemag.org. 2025/11, pN.PAG
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Science
  • Publication Date:2025
  • Accession Number:189363472
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Sciencemag.org is the property of American Association for the Advancement of Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.