Specialists of the North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk will join the Korean scientist Hwang Woo Suk in an attempt to resurrect the mammoth with the help of biological material found in permafrost.

      The end of the project is possible in 10-20 years, which will enable to prepare high-level experts in Yakutsk.

       The funding for the project will be equally divided between the Russian and Korean scientists.

      An Indian elephant, whose DNA code is most similar to the DNA of the mammoth will be selected for the cloning.

      Professor Hwang Woo Suk was in the centre of an international scandal in early 2006, when it became clear that the results of his experiments on human cloning had been fabricated. Despite the incident, the Seoul specialist on stem cells could then restore the scientific reputation, having received identical copies of a cow, a cat and a wolf.

      Source: BBC. Image courtesy: National Geographic.