Liquid blood from more than 40,000 years ago

Scientists have succeeded in extracting liquid blood from the body of a foal found in the Batagaika crater in Siberia. The perfectly preserved remains of a young horse were extracted from the permafrost last year. According to scientists, the remains are about 42,000. years.

The foal was no more than a month old at the time of its death. Siberian researchers have determined that it belonged to a species that became extinct in the Pleistocene Equus lenensis, ktory lived in the region for about 30,000. up to 40 thousand. years ago.

The remains were excavated in excellent condition. The preserved skora, hooves, tail and even tiny hairs in the animal’s nostrils and wokohoof. Even the internal organs were brilliantly preserved. Now the teamol Russian and South Korean scientistsow reported that they were able to extract liquid blood from the foal’s heart vessels.

A young representative of an extinct species made a living by drowning in mud. During the autopsy, a lot of mud was found in its digestive tract, which seems to confirm this hypothesis.

– This is the second time a thawed Ice Age animal has been found to contain liquid blood, said Semyon Grigoryev, head of the Mammoth Museum at Yakutsk State University. In 2018, Grigoryev and his colleagues extracted liquid blood from a mammoth carcass numbering 32,000. years. This makes the foal’s blood 10,000 years older. years old and is thus the oldest liquid blood ever found.

The liquid blood was a surprise for the scientistsow. Usually the blood does not behave so well until our timeow. In addition, well-preserved urine was found in the foal’s bladder.

– Autopsy shows beautifully preserved internal organs. Probki of liquid blood were taken from the vessels of the heart. Muscle tissues preserved swoj natural reddish color. We can now conclude that this is the best-preserved Ice Age animal ever found, Grigoryev said.

Photo. Semyon Grigoryev

Photo. Semyon Grigoryev

The foal’s autopsy should reveal a lot of information about the Pleistocene in Siberia. Scientists will not only study the biochemistry of the preserved urine, intestinal contents and organoIn, but also check the probki of soil and plants found in the permafrost layer, where a foal was found.

Grigoryev and his coohe researchers intend to clone the mammoth, but the first step in restoring the population of the woolly mammoth is to restore theoprice to the life of an extinct species Equus lenensis, i.e., the Leonian horse. However, liquid blood will not help much here. For cloning, scientists focus on comoMuscle tissues and internal organs. But despite the excellent condition of the foal’s corpse, finding DNA in good enough condition for cloning will be a major challenge. – DNA begins to decompose wkrotce after the animal’s death, even in perfect conditions such as permafrost, Grigoryev said.