How to Clone a Mammoth

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/how-to-clone-a-mammoth

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How heavy is How to Clone a Mammoth?Up to 6,000 kilograms (approximately 13,000 pounds)
2. What is the scientific name?Mammuthus primigenius
3. What is the habitat?Steppe-tundra and grasslands of Eurasia and North America during the Pleistocene epoch
4. What is a woolly mammoth?The woolly mammoth was a huge, furry elephant that lived in the cold Ice Age. It had thick fur, a fat layer, and special blood to stay warm. It roamed the northern parts of Earth many thousands of years ago.
5. How do scientists get DNA from a mammoth?Scientists first find well-preserved mammoth bones or frozen remains. They carefully pull out tiny pieces of DNA, then use a machine called PCR to make many copies of the broken DNA. With computers, they piece together the full genome like a giant puzzle.

Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT): A laboratory technique for creating an embryo by transferring the nucleus from a somatic cell into an egg cell.
Bioinformatics: The application of computer science and statistics to biological data, particularly DNA sequences.
Keystone Herbivore: An animal that significantly influences its environment through its feeding habits, shaping the ecosystem.