WAKO, TOKYO, JAPAN – Scientists from Japan’s RIKEN Institute in greater Tokyo have successfully cloned a wooly mammoth for the purpose of being able to ride it.
The still-growing female mammoth, named Akina (meaning “spring flower”), stands at six-feet tall and weighs three tons; already large enough to accommodate two adult scientists.
According to RIKEN’s Dr. Ima Takeashita, the nuclei of an elephant egg was swapped with the DNA of a living, frozen wooly mammoth cell discovered in Siberian permafrost. Akina was then nurtured secretly in RIKEN’s facilities until she had grown large enough to transport staff from the research laboratory to the cafeteria.
Since her public unveiling, Akina has captured the hearts of the Japanese people, recently creating quite a stir when she was seen tied to a streetlight outside the Teyandei Izakaya at 11:30pm on Friday evening.
“LOL on Aki right now so FUN #biology” tweeted Rieko Matsuda, a researcher at RIKEN.
“We’d expected to receive some criticism for manipulating nature. Therefore, we wanted to show that our progress is not just about ‘playing God,’ but also about ‘playing,’” added Dr. Takeashita with a smile. “If we have the brainpower to be the most advanced biological institute in the world, we’re certainly not going to be the stupidest and just take Akina’s picture and be done with it. No, that would certainly be imprudent. All aboard!”
Responding to criticism that the $20-billion research grant the scientists received could have gone on towards more important research, the scientists defended their study.
“We could have spent our time seeking cures for cancer or HIV, or refining green agriculture technologies, but you can’t ride any of those things,” Matsuda said. “Besides, when you see the child-like smiles on the scientists faces, you know you’ve brought something good into the world.”
The wooly mammoth is currently the only extinct species to be resurrected through cloning, yet the scientists have told the public they plan to further their research.
“The only logical next step is to clone a saber-toothed tiger in order to race the two prehistoric mammals, and ultimately pit them against each other in a fight to see who would win.”
