[PHOTOS] Back From The Dead: Wooly Mammoth; No Longer Impossible -...

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The fierce debate over whether to clone a woolly mammoth has been reignited by a fresh attempt to bring the species back from the dead.

South Korean scientists believe that the extinct animal can be brought back to life by using the DNA of an extremely well preserved mammoth found in the Siberian snow.

Insung Hwang, a geneticist at Sooam, the South Korean biotech company working on the project, said his team considers it an achievable goal, and will be using the fresh blood samples they have recovered.

However, many in the science community oppose the idea of bringing an extinct species back to life.

Dr Tori Herridge, a palaeobiologist and mammoth specialist at the Natural History Museum, described the moment she came face to face with the mammoth, nicknamed Buttercup, as “one of the most incredible experiences of her life”.

But Dr Herridge said the cloning process would be cruel, and the benefits of creating a living breathing woolly mammoth do not outweigh the ethical problems.

She also believes that an elephant would have to act as a surrogate, carrying the mammoth for 22 months before giving birth to something that may soon die or damage her in the process.

"The most fundamental step and ethical concern with this kind of procedure is that you need to have an Asian elephant surrogate mum at some point," she said.

“Cloning a mammoth will require you to experiment on probably many, many Asian elephants."

A new-born woolly mammoth would likely find itself immediately designated an endangered species, and have to cope with modern environments as well as life in captivity.

According to research, mammoths were inherently social creatures, leaving the new-born mammoth to a potentially lonely existence.

Sir Ian Wilmut, the Edinburgh-based professor behind the world’s first cloned mammal – Dolly the Sheep – believes it is a worthwhile endeavor.

"I think it should be done as long as we can provide great care for the animal”, he said last year.

“If there are reasonable prospects of them being healthy, we should do it. We can learn a lot about them.”

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