Groundbreaking Discovery: Perfectly Preserved 39,000-Year-Old RNA Sequenced from Woolly Mammoth Yuka

A significant stride in paleobiology has been achieved by a team of researchers who successfully isolated and sequenced the most ancient RNA molecule ever recovered. This remarkable genetic material was extracted from the remains of a juvenile woolly mammoth named Yuka, which lay encased in the Siberian permafrost for an astonishing 39,000 years. The findings, detailed in the journal Cell on November 14, 2025, challenge the long-held scientific assumption that RNA rapidly degrades following an organism's death, demonstrating its potential for preservation over tens of millennia under specific environmental conditions.

Yuka’s exceptionally well-preserved remains were first unearthed in 2010 along the Oyogos Yar coast, situated close to the Laptev Sea. Scientists managed to retrieve the crucial molecular samples from the muscle tissue located in the mammoth’s left foreleg. This specific location offered direct evidence regarding the patterns of gene expression active just before the animal perished. Crucially, the RNA analysis revealed fragments of the Y-chromosome, settling a long-standing debate and confirming the specimen's sex as male, despite previous suggestions that Yuka might have been female.

The comprehensive, multifactorial investigation yielded compelling evidence regarding Yuka’s final moments. Researchers detected distinct markers of stress and inflammation within the cellular expression profiles. The animal exhibited signs of extreme exhaustion, with overloaded leg muscles, suggesting a prolonged effort, likely running to escape a threat. This molecular data strongly reinforces the earlier morphological hypothesis: Yuka, estimated to be between 6 and 8 years old, likely succumbed to an attack by a cave lion shortly before its death.

The recovered material was not limited to messenger RNAs (mRNAs), which code for proteins. The team also identified non-coding molecules, including microRNAs, which are vital regulators of gene activity. The success of this extraction from Yuka, whose remains were stored in the natural “refrigerator” provided by the perpetual cold of the permafrost, validates the possibility of recovering detailed biochemical fingerprints from the soft tissues of mammals that have been frozen for thousands of years.

This groundbreaking research significantly expands the opportunities to paleobiologists, moving beyond the traditional analysis of only DNA and proteins. The ability to study ancient RNA structures unlocks a new dimension of understanding. Unlike DNA, which provides a static blueprint, RNA captures biological processes actively occurring in the organism.

This means scientists can now gain unprecedented insight into the physiological state of an organism at final glimpses of its life, even if life occurred tens of thousands year ago.