Exploring RNA molecules in Ancient Woolly Mammoths
Benjamin Pruss
BIOL-2110-001 GENETICS
Professor Guy F. Barbato
November 11th, 2025
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| by Cyclonaut published on |
In a recently published study, DNA and RNA from several preserved woolly mammoths that were preserved in the Siberian permafrost were analyzed by Mármol-Sánchez, Dalén, and their colleagues. In a juvenile woolly mammoth that lived 40,000 years ago in the group called Yuka, the tissues were examined by the scientists. They found that there was molecular stress in the muscles of the mammoth's hind legs, as well as scratches, leading to the idea that she was trying to outrun a predator.
RNA, or ribonucleic acid, transmits genetic information from DNA in cells and can be used to understand what a cell was doing at a specific time. Generally, RNA breaks down very quickly after death; however, in the permafrost where Yuka was found, the RNA was preserved.
The scientists examined the RNA of Yuka as well as several others in an attempt to look beyond DNA, which is more commonly studied. The goal was to expand past what was previously thought to be the limits of ancient RNA analysis.
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