Yuka's Frozen Secret: How a 40,000-Year-Old Mammoth Rewrote the Rules of Ancient Biology

ATLANTA, Alaska - Nov. 15, 2025 - PRLog -- Deep within the Siberian permafrost, a remarkably preserved woolly mammoth known as Yuka has revealed the oldest RNA ever discovered—nearly 40,000 years old. While scientists have long recovered DNA from ancient remains, finding RNA has always been considered nearly impossible because of how fragile and rapidly degrading it is. Yet Yuka's rapid freezing created exceptional preservation conditions that allowed researchers to extract clear RNA fragments showing which genes were active shortly before the animal died.
Molecular analysis uncovered cellular messages linked to muscle function and stress responses, suggesting that the mammoth may have experienced trauma or a predator attack shortly before death. The RNA also confirmed that Yuka was male, correcting earlier assumptions based solely on external anatomy. This discovery doesn't just bring a piece of the Ice Age back to life—it reshapes what we thought was possible in ancient molecular biology and opens a new window into the physiology of extinct animals and how their bodies functioned in their final moments.

Finding RNA in an Ice Age creature marks a significant scientific leap because it reveals actual gene activity, not just the genetic blueprint. It also raises expectations about what secrets frozen landscapes may still hold and could transform future research on evolution, ancient ecosystems, and even long-lost pathogens.

At the end of this article, you'll find a video that explains how the RNA was extracted and what this breakthrough may mean for the future of studying extinct species.
https://youtu.be/vEiMpxu4ImI