freeze in permafrost on the banks of a Siberian river , the remains of a 12,400 - year - old puppy has been discovered , give scientists an opportunity to examine a well - preserved Pleistocene canine for the first time . The dog is thought to be a sib of another that was unearthed in 2011 , and is make bold to have been killed in a landslip before becoming mummified .
While the previous discovery was in a more advanced state of disintegration , the a la mode breakthrough has been name by Sergey Fedorov of the North - East Federal University as “ preserved from nose to tail , including the hair . ” Perhaps the most challenging feature of the ancient animal is its brain , which MRI scans have testify to be “ 70 to 80 percent ” intact .
talk to theSiberian Times , Dr. Pavel Nikolsky , inquiry fellow of the Geological Institute in Moscow , said that the brain “ has dry out out somewhat , but theparencephalon , cerebellumandpituitary glandare visible . We can say that this is the first time we have receive the mentality of a Pleistocene canid . ”
The specimen – which DNA analytic thinking has divulge to be a click rather than a wolf – was find on the banks of the River Syalakh in the Sakha Republic . The discovery of stone prick nearby suggests human activity in the region , chair investigator to speculate that the pup may have been a pet .
Aside from examining the pup ’s mastermind , scientists also hope to analyze the bacterium in its digestive system and the parasitic ticks present in its pelt for learn more about the diversity of living present in Siberia during thePleistocene – a geological epoch sweep the repeated glaciation known as the last Ice Age .
Attending the site of the discovery , controversial Korean scientist Hwang Woo - Suk , who has expressed a desire toclone a number of extinct animals , took sample of the dog ’s tegument , muscle , and gristle . Said to be “ very excited ” about the level of preservation of theses tissues , he has now add the puppy to the listing of animals he hopes to clone , which also includes wooly mammoths and cave Leo .
