Jerky-like skin of a 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth could change what we know about ancient DNA
![Researchers Valerii Plotnikov and Dan Fisher examine the skin of a 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth after it was excavated from permafrost in Siberia. Scientists have since found fossilized chromosomes in the skin — a discovery they say could change how we study ancient fossils. Two men outdoors, kneeling over a hairy, brown hide. One man is prodding it with a tool, while the other films with his phone.](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7265558.1721163234!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/chris-waddle-mammoth-unearthed.jpg)
The leathery, mulleted remains of a 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth known as Chris Waddle aren’t much to look at, says geneticist Olga Dudchenko — but the information they contain is invaluable.