Scientists Attempt To Clone Extinct Ice Age Lion Cubs With Frozen DNA

Scientists from South Korea and Russia want to clone an extinct cave lion using DNA from the frozen remains of ice age cubs. The two 12,000-year-old lion cubs were found almost perfectly preserved in Russia’s Sakha Republic thanks to the permanently low temperatures. Researchers hope to find living tissue in the prehistoric cubs, with DNA that could be used to recreate the extinct big cat.

One cub will be used for the cloning plan, while the other will be kept as part of the Mammoth Museum’s collection. The project is a collaboration between South Korean and Russian scientists at the Joint Foundation of Molecular Palaeontology, at North East Russia University in the city of Yakutsk. READ MORE