COMEBACK

Woolly Mammoth Close to Resurrection

Using hybrid embryo.

The woolly mammoth, which scientists believe went extinct 4,000 years ago, is close to being resurrected, according to Harvard researchers. Using genetic engineering, the team says it will soon be able to replicate the physical traits of the ancient animal inside an embryo that will be based on an Asian elephant. “Our aim is to produce a hybrid elephant-mammoth embryo,” said Prof. George Church said at an annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston. “Actually, it would be more like an elephant with a number of mammoth traits. We’re not there yet, but it could happen in a couple of years.”