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Woolly mammoth on verge of resurrection, Harvard scientists say

One of the most iconic ancient creatures to roam the Earth may soon get a genetic reboot: Scientists at Harvard

that they are within two years of resurrecting the woolly mammoth.

A team of Harvard scientists working on the "de-extinction" effort said it is only a matter of time before they will be able to create a hybrid embryo of a mammoth and an Asian elephant.

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Professor George Church is at the head of the ambitious project to resurrect the ancient beast, which began in 2015.

“Our aim is to produce a hybrid elephant-mammoth embryo,” Church told The Guardian. “Actually, it would be more like an elephant with a number of mammoth traits. We’re not there yet, but it could happen in a couple of years.”

The result, which scientists have dubbed a "mammophant," would have features like the mammoth, including adaptations for cold weather like long shaggy hair and subcutaneous fat.

The mammoth last roamed Europe, Asia, Africa and North America during the last Ice Age more than 4,000 years ago. They co-existed with early humans, who used their tusks to create tools and hunted them for meat. Their closest living relatives are Asian elephants, although mammoths were larger, about the size of an African elephant.

The process of resurrecting the creature is a complicated feat of genetic "editing" which involves splicing DNA. So far, scientists have stopped at the cellular level, although creating embryos could come next.  Church said it will be years before his team attempts to create a living, breathing, animal.