The World Mammoth Center is expected to commence operations in Yakutia in the near future. Albert Protopopov, head of the department studying mammoth fauna at the scientific institution and Doctor of Biological Sciences, shared this information with TASS. The foundation for the future research complex will be the new laboratories being established at the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Sakha.

The center's launch, which is part of the AZRF Development and National Security Strategy until 2035, will be carried out in several stages. Currently, in Yakutia, specialists are being trained for the future research complex — approximately 100 people will be required by the time it opens. By that time, storage facilities ranging from 80 to 1000 square meters will need to be constructed to store paleontological material under temperature-controlled conditions. Albert Protopopov emphasized that to work effectively, the current list of laboratories needs to be significantly expanded, as it has become impossible to date findings at several foreign centers. A "clean room" is required, completely devoid of genetic material, where PCR tests of mammoth, ancient bear, and wolf tissues will be conducted in sterile boxes. In the near future, the department studying mammoth fauna at the Academy of Sciences of Yakutia will open laboratories for analyzing ancient spores and pollen, paleocarpology, an anatomical laboratory, and will install a tomograph and 3D visualization equipment. They will also monitor natural and anthropogenic processes in the Arctic.

The concept of establishing a World Mammoth Center was initially proposed during Russia's presidency of the Arctic Council. Today, the focus of international scientific cooperation in the Polar region has somewhat shifted — Russian scientists are being actively invited to collaborate by colleagues from countries without access to the Arctic Ocean. For instance, last March at an international conference on climate change and permafrost thawing, the Chinese corporation XY Group expressed its intention to collaborate with Yakutia on biotechnology and phytotherapy. The event attracted over 500 participants from China, India, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and other countries.

Meanwhile, the World Mammoth Center holds significant potential for collaboration. Over 90% of paleontological fauna discoveries are made in Yakutia, and around 120 tons of mammoth tusks are extracted annually. The permafrost helps preserve the animals' soft tissues, providing scientists worldwide with access to unique samples of prehistoric giants. Plans for the center include not only building laboratories and storage facilities but also a museum-exhibition center and a site named "Ice Age Park". The aim is to recreate the natural conditions that existed during the era of the giant woolly elephants.

Incidentally, scientists in Yakutia have also pondered the possibility of reviving a mammoth. Last November, the Mammoth Effect Foundation for the Preservation and Support of Natural and Cultural Heritage, Artembryogen Engineering LLC, FIC YaSC SB RAS, and the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) signed an agreement to collaborate on studying Quaternary Period paleontology and developing biotechnology. Fundamental research should be integrated with practical applications. Specifically, the Mammoth Effect Foundation has set an ambitious goal to clone the animal and create a sustainable population. In the initial stage, experts plan to find and prepare tissues suitable for cultivation, from which they will then extract genetic material. This will serve as the base for creating a reconstructed embryo through the fusion of a somatic cell of an enucleated ovum. A modern she-elephant will serve as the living donor.

Previously, the American company Colossal Biosciences announced similar plans, promising to hand over the first successful clone to Pleistocene Park in Yakutia. The foreign scientists planned to use mammoth DNA found in the Republic of Sakha in 2018, along with genetic material from an Asian elephant. The project is expected to yield its first results between 2025 and 2027.