Scientists Sequence Woolly Mammoth RNA for the First Time, Revealing Cellular Secrets of a 39,000‑Year‑Old Juvenile

Woolly mammoth RNA sequenced for the first time

For the first time, researchers have retrieved and sequenced RNA from woolly mammoth remains, overturning the long-standing belief that this fragile molecule could not survive for tens of thousands of years. The study, published in Cell on Nov. 14, analyzed 10 well-preserved Mammuthus primigenus specimens recovered from Siberia, with radiocarbon ages spanning roughly 10,000 to 50,000 years.

RNA (ribonucleic acid) acts as the intermediary between DNA and a cell's protein-making machinery. Messenger RNA (mRNA) carries working copies of DNA instructions that direct which proteins a cell builds, and therefore reveals which genes were active at a given moment. Unlike DNA, RNA is single-stranded and far more chemically fragile, which is why ancient RNA has been rarely recovered until now.

Yuka: the oldest RNA yet

One specimen—the ginger-colored juvenile known as Yuka—yielded particularly strong results. At an estimated ~39,000 years old, Yuka now represents the oldest animal from which RNA has been sequenced; the previous record came from a canid dated to about 14,300 years. The molecular data overturned a prior assumption about Yuka's sex: although morphology suggested the specimen might be female, the RNA reveals Yuka was genetically male.

What the ancient RNA reveals

Because RNA reflects gene activity at the time cells stopped functioning, the recovered transcripts provide a snapshot of the tissues' final molecular states. The researchers found RNA linked to muscle contraction proteins and regulatory genes controlling muscle function. They also detected signatures consistent with metabolic cell stress in Yuka's muscle tissue.

"What we are capturing here is, in a sense, a snapshot of the last moments of the life of these mammoths," said lead author Emilio Mármol Sánchez (then at the Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, University of Copenhagen).

Those molecular signs align with earlier physical observations: a 2021 study reported claw and bite marks on Yuka that may reflect attacks or postmortem scavenging by cave lions (Panthera spelaea) and smaller predators. However, the precise cause of the cellular stress seen in the RNA cannot yet be determined.

Implications and future directions

External experts hailed the finding as a breakthrough in paleogenomics. Federico Sánchez Quinto of UNAM noted the team recovered RNA from an older sample and in larger, more confident amounts than prior efforts. The authors also provided a methodological roadmap to help other laboratories extract and validate ancient RNA from well-preserved specimens.

In combination with DNA, ancient RNA opens a new window into the biology of extinct animals by revealing which genes were active in different cell types and under what conditions. As co-author Love Dalén, professor of evolutionary genetics at the Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm University, put it: "This approach lets us see which genes were active in different cell types and can ultimately clarify the molecular basis of traits in extinct species."

Bottom line: The successful sequencing of woolly mammoth RNA—including the ~39,000-year-old Yuka—demonstrates that under exceptional preservation, RNA can survive far longer than previously believed, offering a powerful new tool to study extinct organisms at the cellular level.