11. Woolly Mammoth DNA Inserted Into Elephant Cells
Ever since Jurassic Park first thundered across our screens, we've been obsessed with the idea of bringing and ancient species back from the dead. Well, it looks like we soon might get our wish, but it won't be dinosaurs. Wooly mammoths have been extinct for nearly 4,000 years but, thanks to their icy habitats, a handful of beautifully preserved mammoths have been emerging from the permafrost. Their bodies are so well preserved that it has been possible to extract good quality, undegraded DNA from them. Scientists, using a gene-editing technique known as CRISPR, have managed to insert the mammoth genes for small ears, subcutaneous fat, and hair length and colour into the lab-grown skin cells of an elephant. There's still a long way to go before you'll be able to visit Mammoth Park, but if the implanted cells produce the desired traits, it may be possible to grow a brand new wooly mammoth in an artificial womb in the future. Although many don't see the scientific merit in bringing back a species that is demonstrably not equipped to live in today's environment (what with them having died out and all), the same techniques could be used to help preserve species whose numbers are currently being threatened by human activity. And, you know, Mammoth Park.
