Frozen Mice Succesfully Cloned

A team at the Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan, used brain cells from mice that had been stored at -20˚C (-4˚F) to create the clones. Depending on temperature and duration, cells that are frozen commonly experience damage to their DNA, which is one reason why the successful test is important.

Cells that are frozen commonly experience damage to their DNA.

Most successful cloning in the past has used live donor cells, although previously Australian scientists cloned a pig from cells that had been frozen for two years. The scientists from the Center for Development Biology suggest that perhaps mammoths could one day be cloned from their frozen remains, although DNA that has been taken from frozen mammoths has been found to be severely degraded.

“The key question is whether sufficiently intact nuclei could be extracted from mammoth cells, which will have been frozen for at least 10,000 years at relatively high sub-zero temperatures,” says John Armitage, director of tissue banking at the Bristol Eye Hospital. He also cautioned that even -20˚C would not stop genetic degradation for long, and that temperatures of “at least -140˚C” (-220˚F), along with cryoprotecting chemicals, is necessary for ideal preservation.

Disappointingly, not only might mammoths not return, but Armitage’s suggestion applies to the long-term storage of embryos used in stem-cell research.

Remember, if you see a news story that might merit some attention, let us know about it! (Note: if the story originates from the Associated Press, Fox News, MSNBC, the New York Times, or another major national media outlet, we will most likely have already heard about it.) And thanks to all of our readers who have submitted great news tips to us.

(Please note that links will take you directly to the source. Answers in Genesis is not responsible for content on the websites to which we refer. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy.)