Overview
- A study published in Cell on November 14 reports recovery and sequencing of RNA from Yuka, a ~39,000–40,000-year-old woolly mammoth, marking the oldest known ancient RNA.
- Muscle RNA captured tissue-specific gene expression and stress-response signals from shortly before death, though the authors caution this does not establish a definitive cause.
- Researchers identified muscle-specific microRNAs and other non-coding RNAs, including rare variants that authenticated mammoth origin, and they detected novel genes using RNA evidence alone.
- RNA and corroborating DNA data revealed a Y chromosome, showing Yuka is male and overturning earlier assumptions based on external anatomy.
- The team screened tissues from 10 permafrost-preserved mammoths but focused analyses on Yuka due to sample quality, with results suggesting future prospects for integrated RNA–DNA–protein studies and potential recovery of ancient RNA viruses.