Mammoth liquid blood found

This footage shows Russianscientists extracting liquid blood and tissue from frozen woolly mammoth believed to be 10-15,000-years-old during an expedition on an Arctic Ocean island.

The DNA of the prehistoric animal will now be examined as part of a cloning project.

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An Ice Age Expert at Royal Holloway, University of London, has said he is highly sceptical about the possibility of cloning a prehistoric mammoth after the discovery of liquid blood on a carcass.

Professor Scott Elias told ITV News: "I have serious doubts about the cloning because even if you have the DNA, producing a viable organisation is still a huge step away from just having its DNA.

After scientists' discovery of liquid blood in a prehistoric woolly mammoth, which they hope to clone in the future, users of ITV News Facebook page, had varied thoughts on the issue:

• Pictures: Researchers' discovery of mammoth liquid blood

Following the discovery of liquid inside the carcass of 10-15,000 year-old female woolly mammoth, scientists will attempt to clone the animal.

The team from Russia's Northeastern Federal University made the find on an island off the coast of Siberia.

See more pictures of the woolly mammal liquid blood discovery

Last year, the university signed a deal with controversial cloning pioneer Hwang Woo-Suk of South Korea’s Sooam Biotech Research Foundation.

In 2005, Dr Hwang created the world's first cloned dog but was later embroiled in controversy over claims of faked landmark human embryo cloning research.

In addition, it emerged that female researchers in his laboratory has supplied eggs for his research.

Dr Hwang later apologised for the scandal insisting he had been deceived by staff members.

Russian scientists have found liquid blood inside the carcass of prehistoric woolly mammoth on a remote island in the Arctic Ocean.

The pictures featured in The Siberian Times, captured the expedition team after they made their discovery.

Semyon Grigoryev, the head of the expedition, said: "This find gives us a really good chance of finding live cells which can help us implement this project to clone a mammoth".

Read: Mammoth cloning boost after liquid blood discovery

Mammoth specialists are now expected to study the remains which are being held at an undisclosed location.

"I won't say where it is being kept or it may get stolen," Mr Grigoryev said.

Chances of cloning a prehistoric woolly mammoth have been boosted after Russian scientists found liquid blood inside a 10,000-15,000 year-old female carcass.

It may sound like a scene straight out of Jurassic Park, but scientists believe the discovery on an island off Siberia provides a "really good chance" of bringing the mammoth back to life.

Semyon Grigoryev, the head of the expedition said of the find: "When we broke the ice beneath her stomach, the blood flowed out from there, it was very dark".

“This is the most astonishing case in my entire life. How was it possible for it to remain in liquid form? And the muscle tissue is also red, the colour of fresh meat,” he added.

According to The Times, a deal has been signed to give South Korean scientists exclusive rights to clone the mammoth.

Hwang Woo Suk, a stem cell scientist who created the world’s first cloned dog in 2005, said that once the tissues had been treated to a nuclear transfer process eggs would implanted into the womb of a live elephant for a 22-month pregnancy, the newspaper said.