• South Korean and Russian scientists plans to clone the well-preserved prehistoric lion cubs found in Siberia
• The Ice Age cubs are called “Dina” and “Uyan”
• The researchers plan to go back to the cave where the two frozen cubs were found to look for remains of more cubs, or even a lioness
South Korean and Russian scientists want to clone the Ice Age cave lion cubs found in August last year in near-perfect condition in Russia’s Sakha Republic.
The head of the mammoth fauna studies department of the Yakutian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Albert Protopopov, said the prehistoric lion cubs were found complete with all their body parts including fur, ears, soft tissue, and even whiskers.
As per the Siberian Times’ article on the cloning project, South Korean researcher Hwang Woo-suk said there may be some chances of extracting enough DNA from the ancient cave lion cubs’ remains, which will allow them to clone the extinct lions.
“If we get good samples, then we will do our best to restore the cave lion,” he said.
Hwang Woo-suk, who is currently working on a groundbreaking project of bringing the extinct wooly mammoth back to life, flew to the Russian city of Yakutsk, the capital of Sakha Republic, to supervise the removal of skin and muscle tissue samples from one of the frozen cubs, christened as “Dina.”
The other cub named “Uyan,” which is better preserved than Dina, will be kept as part of the Mammoth Museum’s collection.
Last year, when the two prehistoric lion cubs were unveiled for the first time, Dr. Protopopov said: “Compared to modern lion cubs, we think these two were very small – maybe a week or two old. The eyes were not quite open, they have baby teeth and not all had appeared.”
“The cubs may have died after their mother hid them in a cave to protect them from predators. Then the landslide covered the cave and they remained surrounded by permafrost. The air intake was also blocked, and this helped their preservation,” he theorized.
The researchers plan to go back to the cave where Dina and Uyan were found to search for remains of more cubs, or even a lioness.
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