Effort To Clone Woolly Mammoth Takes Big Step Forward

Scientists are one step closer to cloning a woolly mammoth, thanks to the results of a new autopsy conducted on a remarkably preserved specimen of the species discovered last year.

The 40,000-year-old mammoth, nicknamed "Buttercup," was found in permafrost on the remote Siberian island of Maly Lyakhovsky. When scientists cut into the carcass, its fresh-looking flesh oozed dark blood, raising hopes that DNA could be extracted.

Scientists believe that the key to cloning the prehistoric beast is finding a complete copy of its DNA. That wasn't found in this case, but the scientists did recover long fragments.