Researchers sequenced the oldest-known RNA from a juvenile woolly mammoth named Yuka, frozen in Siberian permafrost and discovered in 2010. The RNA, extracted from leg muscle, reveals which genes were active near death and shows signs of cellular stress. The finding — published in Cell — demonstrates that RNA can survive much longer under deep-freeze conditions and opens new possibilities for studying gene activity in extinct animals.
39,000-Year-Old RNA Sequenced from Siberian Woolly Mammoth Unlocks Ancient Gene Activity
Researchers sequenced the oldest-known RNA from a juvenile woolly mammoth named Yuka, frozen in Siberian permafrost and discovered in 2010. The RNA, extracted from leg muscle, reveals which genes were active near death and shows signs of cellular stress. The finding — published in Cell — demonstrates that RNA can survive much longer under deep-freeze conditions and opens new possibilities for studying gene activity in extinct animals.
10:56 PM, 11/14/2025Science
39,000-Year-Old RNA Sequenced from Siberian Woolly Mammoth
Scientists have isolated and sequenced the oldest-known ribonucleic acid (RNA) to date from a woolly mammoth that lived in Siberia roughly 39,000 years ago, demonstrating that RNA can persist far longer than previously believed and opening new ways to study the biology of long-extinct animals.
The RNA was extracted from muscle tissue in the left front leg of a juvenile male mammoth nicknamed Yuka, estimated to be about five to 10 years old. Yuka's carcass was discovered in 2010, preserved in permafrost along the Oyogos Yar coast of the Laptev Sea in the Russian Far East. The results appear in the journal Cell.
"With RNA, you can access the actual biology of the cell or tissue happening in real time within the last moments of life of the organism," said Emilio Mármol, lead author and geneticist at the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen.
Unlike DNA, which records an organism's genetic blueprint, RNA conveys which genes were active in a cell at a given time. By sequencing Yuka's RNA, researchers identified molecules linked to muscle contraction and to metabolic pathways that respond to stress — signals consistent with cellular stress around the time of death, though not definitive proof of cause.
Yuka's hide shows deep cuts likely caused by a cave lion attack, but the wounds do not appear severe enough to conclusively explain the animal's death. Earlier DNA analyses of the same specimen corrected an initial assessment of its sex: Yuka possesses both X and Y chromosomes and measured about 1.6 meters (5.25 feet) at the shoulder.
Previous oldest RNA came from a roughly 14,000-year-old wolf cub from Siberia. For context, the oldest recovered DNA fragments date to about 2 million years (from Greenland sediments), and the oldest proteins identified come from a 23-million-year-old rhino in the Canadian Arctic. RNA's greater fragility has made preservation unexpected, but the deep freeze of Siberian permafrost appears exceptionally favorable for long-term molecular survival.
Why this matters
Recovering ancient RNA gives scientists access to gene expression patterns at or near the moment of death, offering a functional snapshot of cellular metabolism that complements genomic and proteomic data. The study's authors, including co-author Love Dalén of Stockholm University and the Centre for Palaeogenetics, say the work is a proof of principle that will encourage searches for RNA in other ancient and historical remains.
Implications: Ancient RNA could enable detailed reconstructions of physiology, stress responses and disease states in extinct species, improving our understanding of Ice Age megafauna and extending molecular paleobiology beyond DNA and proteins.