Frozen Mammoth 'Yuka' Yields Oldest Ancient RNA, Offering New Insights
Scientists have successfully sequenced RNA from a 39,000‑year‑old woolly mammoth known as Yuka, whose well‑preserved remains were uncovered on a remote bluff in northeastern Siberia. The specimen, frozen in permafrost, provided sufficient intact tissue for researchers to extract and decode the ancient molecule, marking the oldest RNA ever recovered and the first from a Pleistocene megafauna.
The achievement is notable because RNA degrades far more rapidly than DNA, making its survival over tens of thousands of years highly unlikely. Preservation in the Siberian permafrost appears to have halted typical decay processes, allowing ribonucleic material to remain sufficiently intact for modern sequencing technologies. This finding challenges previous assumptions that RNA could not survive beyond a few hundred years in natural environments and suggests that other well‑preserved specimens might also retain molecular information previously thought lost.
Experts in paleogenomics have described the result as a “significant breakthrough” that could expand the toolkit for studying extinct species. While some caution that the data must be interpreted carefully to avoid contamination, generic statements from the research team indicate that the RNA sequences align with known mammoth genetic markers, confirming their authenticity. Industry analysts note that the ability to access ancient RNA may open new avenues for investigating gene expression patterns, disease susceptibility, and metabolic adaptations of extinct organisms.
Looking ahead, scientists plan to apply similar extraction methods to additional permafrost finds and to compare RNA profiles across different time periods. If successful, the approach could refine evolutionary timelines and improve our understanding of how climate and environmental pressures shaped the biology of ancient megafauna. The discovery underscores the value of preserving frozen archaeological sites and highlights the growing potential of molecular archaeology to rewrite aspects of Earth’s deep‑time biological record.
