Scientists Dissect 130,000-Year-Old Baby Mammoth Discovered in Siberian Permafrost

In a lab situated in Russia’s far east, scientists meticulously conducted what appeared to be a post-mortem examination, making incisions and carefully extracting samples. However, the subject of their dissection was not a human, but a baby mammoth that lived approximately 130,000 years ago.

The calf, named Yana after the river basin where she was unearthed, was discovered last year and is remarkably well-preserved. Her discovery offers scientists a unique window into the distant past and potentially insights into the future, particularly as climate change causes the permafrost in which she was found to thaw.

Yana’s skin retains its greyish-brown hue and is adorned with clumps of reddish hairs. Her wrinkled trunk is curved gracefully towards her mouth. The eye sockets are distinctly recognizable, and her sturdy legs bear a striking resemblance to those of modern-day elephants.

Artemy Goncharov, who heads the Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics of Microorganisms at the Institute of Experimental Medicine in Saint Petersburg, described the necropsy—an animal autopsy—as “an opportunity to look into the past of our planet.”

Researchers are hoping to uncover unique ancient bacteria and perform genetic analyses on the plants and spores that Yana consumed. The goal is to gather crucial details about the environment and period in which she lived.

Yana’s exceptional preservation is largely attributed to the thousands of years she spent encased in permafrost within the Sakha region of Siberia.

With measurements of 1.2 meters (approximately four feet) at the shoulder and two meters in length, Yana weighed 180 kilograms (nearly 400 pounds). Russian scientists suggest she could be the best-preserved mammoth specimen ever discovered, complete with intact internal organs and soft tissues.

Stomach, Intestines

The dissection of Yana’s body represents a treasure trove for the team of six scientists who conducted the necropsy in late March at the Mammoth Museum, which is part of the North-Eastern Federal University located in Yakutsk, the regional capital.

Donning sterile white bodysuits, goggles, and facemasks, the zoologists and biologists dedicated several hours to examining the front quarters of the mammoth, a species that vanished nearly 4,000 years ago.

Goncharov noted, “We can see that many organs and tissues are very well preserved.”

He added that “The digestive tract is partly preserved; the stomach is preserved. There are still fragments of the intestines, in particular the colon,” which enables scientists to collect samples.

Their research involves “searching for ancient microorganisms” preserved inside the mammoth, with the aim of studying their “evolutionary relationship with modern microorganisms,” according to Goncharov.

As one scientist used scissors to cut Yana’s skin, another made an incision in the inner wall using a scalpel. Tissue samples were then carefully placed in test tubes and bags for thorough analysis.

Another table held the mammoth’s hindquarters, which had remained embedded in a cliff after the front quarters had fallen below.

The scent emanating from the mammoth was reminiscent of a blend of fermented earth and flesh that had macerated in the Siberian subsoil.

Artyom Nedoluzhko, the director of the Paleogenomics Laboratory at the European University in Saint Petersburg, mentioned, “We are trying to reach the genitals.”

He explained that the goal is “to gather material to understand what microbiota lived in her when she was alive.”

‘Milk Tusks’

Initial estimates placed Yana’s death at around 50,000 years ago. However, after analyzing the permafrost layer where she was found, Maxim Cheprasov, director of the Mammoth Museum, stated that she is now believed to be “more than 130,000 years” old.

Regarding her age at the time of death, he added, “it’s already clear that she is over a year old because her milk tusks have already appeared.”

Both elephants and mammoths possess early milk tusks that are later shed.

Scientists have yet to determine the cause of Yana’s early death.

Cheprasov noted that at the time when this herbivorous mammal grazed on grass, “here on the territory of Yakutia there were not yet any humans,” as they first appeared in modern-day Siberia between 28,000 and 32,000 years ago.

The key to Yana’s remarkable preservation lies in the permafrost: the soil in this Siberian region remains frozen throughout the year, acting as a massive freezer that preserves the remains of prehistoric animals.

The discovery of Yana’s exposed body was made possible by the thawing permafrost, a phenomenon that scientists attribute to global warming.

Goncharov stated that studying the microbiology of such ancient remains also helps in exploring the “biological risks” associated with global warming.

Some scientists are investigating whether the melting permafrost could release potentially dangerous pathogens, he explained.

“There are some hypotheses or conjectures that in the permafrost there could be preserved pathogenic microorganisms, which when it thaws can get into the water, plants and the bodies of animals — and humans,” he concluded.