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Unique in palaeontology: Liquid blood found inside a prehistoric 42,000 year old foal

By 0 and 0 and 0
16 April 2019

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Liquid blood in Ice Age foal. Picture: North-Eastern Federal University

Semyon Grigoryev, head of the Mammoth Museum in Yakutsk, said today: ‘The autopsy shows beautifully preserved internal organs. 

‘Samples of liquid blood were taken from heart vessels - it was preserved in the liquid state for 42,000 years thanks to favourable burial conditions and permafrost. 

‘The muscle tissues preserved their natural reddish colour. 

‘We can now claim that this is the best preserved Ice Age animal ever found in the world.’ 

Dr Grigoryev revealed in an interview with TASS that the foal is in an exceptional condition without any visible damage. 

‘This is extremely rare for paleontological finds, because some of them are either incomplete, fragmented, with serious body deformations or strongly mummified,’ said the expert. 

‘The foal’s hair is intact on its head, legs and part of its body. 

‘Its tail and mane are black, the rest of the foal’s body is bay. 

‘Having preserved hair is another scientific sensation as all previous ancient horses were found without hair.’

Liquid blood in Ice Age foal


Liquid blood in Ice Age foal


Liquid blood in Ice Age foal


Liquid blood in Ice Age foal


Liquid blood in Ice Age foal

The 42,000 years old foal. Pictures: North-Eastern Federal University

This is the second month of intense joint work of the Yakutian university team and scientists from South Korean Sooam Biotech Research Foundation.

‘Our studies showed that at the moment of death the foal was from one to two weeks old, so he was just recently born,’ said the scientist. 

‘As in previous cases of really well-preserved remains of prehistoric animals, the cause of death was drowning in mud which froze and turned into permafrost. 

‘A lot of mud and silt which the foal gulped during the last seconds of its life were found inside its gastrointestinal tract.’

Video from inside the Batagai depression where the foal was found, and the foal in the lab in Yakutsk


Scientists have already indicated  that they are 'confident of success’ in extracting cells from this foal in order to clone its species - the extinct Lenskaya breed - back to life, as previously reported by The Siberian Times.

Work is so advanced that the team is reportedly choosing a mother for the historic role of giving birth to the comeback species. 

Michil Yakovlev, editor of the university’s corporate media, said: “Hopefully, the world will soon meet the clone of the ancient foal who lived 42,000 years ago.”

The foal was found in the Batagai depression in Yakutia.

An attempt to restore the species to life is seen as paving the way for a similar effort to restore to life the giant woolly mammoth.  

The same scientists are working on both projects. 

Liquid blood in Ice Age foal


Liquid blood in Ice Age foal


Liquid blood in Ice Age foal


Liquid blood in Ice Age foal

The international team of scientists working in the laboratory of North-Eastern Federal University, the foal held by Semyon Grigoryev after it was found, the Batagai depression. Pictures: NEFU, The Siberian Times


The unique foal will become one of the key exhibits of one year long The Mammoth exhibition in Japan, starting in June this year. 

‘More than 30 exhibits from Yakutia will travel to the exhibition,’ said Dr Grigoryev. 

‘For the first time we’ll show the world’s only frozen woolly mammoth trunk, as well as the carcass of the Yukagir bison, an ancient partridge and the Batagai horse.’

Blood of Maloyakhovky mammoth found in 2013. Malolyakhovskiy mammoth ready for the trasportation. Modern-day Yakut horses. Pictures: NEFU, The Siberian Times

Mammoth blood


Liquid blood in Ice Age foal


Liquid blood in Ice Age foal

Comments (42)

They never said how they decided it was 42K years old.
Gordon Shumway, Melmac
18/04/2019 20:56
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Hopefully they get this animal cloned and along with it the virus that dispatched it and is still lying dormant in the animals blood DNA which is then inadvertently released and kills off all the horses on the planet....
Eric, USA
18/04/2019 20:54
2
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There is nothing in the Bible that says the Earth is only 6,000 years old. That time period was the conclusion of a Minister in the 1800s that thought the Bible was a good source to figure the time periods of Earth. What is said in the Bible is that a moment to God is as a thousand years to man. Now think about that!
Alex, Corvallis Oregon USA
18/04/2019 20:40
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People who don't understand the usefulness of this don't understand that genetic variability provides greater options. It is possible genes from this horse can be added to genes of another species to create a more cold tolerant variety of horse for example. Imagine a horse with the cold tolerance of an Alaskan Huskie
Dude, Loafer's Paradise, Arkansas
18/04/2019 19:15
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Science is great but why did it become extinct ? Some virus it carried or inferior genetic structure that didnt survive harsh conditions I'm sure its particular species was elsewhere and could have survived but hasnt. . I think it's like marriage somewhat .. just because you can doesnt mean you should
Madish, US NV
18/04/2019 19:08
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really Kevin ( from Eugene)…..only 6200 year old. This planet must have been a busy place......where do dinosaurs fit into the 6200 year period along with the event that killed them or the several ice ages that have come and gone. some one needs to do some serious research into history.
Tom, Fairfax usa
18/04/2019 18:47
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Liquid blood , 42, 000 years , soft tissue 65 million. I thought y'all were scientist not fairytale writers.

I hear people wanting the bible back in school, how about we just remove the lie of evolution
George, Usa
18/04/2019 17:38
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Only God can create real life. Millions of species have come and gone extinct before mankind was ever on the planet. There is a good reason for it. Stop this nonsense, and teach people how not to be poor, and give them the freedom to do so.
Byron Mead, Msla MT
18/04/2019 16:32
13
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A new Noah's ark discovered, buried in ICE in the Tundra of Russia. Next clone = Wooly Mammouth
Dwight, Sheboygan Wisconsin USA
18/04/2019 16:01
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There was obviously a catastrophy 12,800 yrs ago that killed many animals. With others being found from other time periods. We are not not aware of how often these catastrophic events occur. There is substantial evidence that impacts have caused extinction events that are blamed on humans. As if humans could've killed millions of mammoths that outnumbered people 10 to 1, in such a short time they didn't even reproduce. Look up Randall Carlson. He's going to prove the current scientists wrong. They are so invested in their beliefs that they are unwilling to look at evidence staring them in the face.
N Ramsey, Cabin creek, WV, USA
18/04/2019 09:51
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How did this happen? Millions of animals were flash frozen in tundra as a result of sudden comet strikes to glaciers thousands of years ago, instantly killing, freezing and preserving every large animal back then. For more info, view Graham Hancock's YouTube videos and books. The last known global extinction event, that wiped out the woolly Mammoths, etc., was at the end of the Younger Dryas period, 11,500 calendar years ago (9500 BC). This foal dates to 42K years ago so its likely an earlier extinction event.
Jim W., Virginia, USA
18/04/2019 09:15
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What is the point of this bizarre experiment. Human life has evolved over the past 42,000 years. Why regress?
Dorsy, Berkshire USA
18/04/2019 08:43
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I think we live in amazing times. Whether or not scientists succeed in cloning this animal is really beside the point. The idea that they think they may be able to is truly astounding when you think about it. That said, we also live in very scary times, because I doubt if scientists will ever be able to walk away from the inevitable step that opens a Pandora's box no one will have the power to close.
What Meworry, US
18/04/2019 08:07
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The world is only 6200 years old, cool horse but not that old, Happy Easter! Jesus loves you!
Kevin, Eugène, USA
18/04/2019 07:44
13
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Very interesting story and while I'm all for learning more I can't help but ponder why it is abortion kills a currently alive human yet humans are spending all this time and money to bring back a 42k year old horse. ???
PonderingOne, usa
18/04/2019 07:13
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