205: Ancient RNA Expression Profiles from the Woolly Mammoth

Ancient RNA Expression Profiles from the Woolly Mammoth

Music:
Enjoy the music based on this article at the end of the episode.

License:
This episode is based on an open-access article published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Episode link: https://basebybase.com/episodes/ancient-rna-expression-profiles-from-the-woolly-mammoth

️ Episode:
205: Ancient RNA Expression Profiles from the Woolly Mammoth

️ Season:
1

Article title:
Ancient RNA Expression Profiles from the Woolly Mammoth

Journal:
Cell

DOI:
10.1016/j.cell.2025.10.025

QC:
This episode was checked against the original article PDF and publication metadata for the episode release published on 2025-11-21.

QC Scope:
- article metadata and core scientific claims from the narration
- excludes analogies, intro/outro, and music
- transcript coverage: Audited the transcript's coverage of the article’s main experimental design, data-quality checks, major results, tissue-level interpretation, and preservation rationale, including sample collection/preservation, RNA sequencing and fragment mapping, damage signatures, exonic reads, tissue identity, sex determination, an
- transcript topics: Sample collection and permafrost preservation; RNA sequencing, fragment length, and mapping strategy; Damage signatures and data authenticity (CU deamination, 5' end bias); Exonic mapping and exon-exon junctions indicating mature mRNA; Tissue identity and metabolism (skeletal muscle; slow-twitch markers MYH7, TNNT1, NEB); Genetic sex determination (Y-chromosome transcripts USP9Y) and autosomal DNA

QC Summary:
- factual score: 10/10
- metadata score: 10/10
- supported core claims: 7
- claims flagged for review: 0
- metadata checks passed: 4
- metadata issues found: 0

Metadata Audited:
- article_doi
- article_title
- article_journal
- license

Factual Items Audited:
- RNA recovered from soft tissues of woolly mammoths; 3 of 10 samples showed endogenous mammoth material
- RNA fragments map to exonic regions and span exon-exon junctions, indicating mature mRNA
- Tissue expression profile matches skeletal muscle with slow-twitch fiber markers (MYH7, TNNT1, NEB)
- Genetic sex determined as male via Y-chromosome transcripts such as USP9Y
- Two novel mammoth-specific microRNAs predicted (MPR novel 4 and MPR novel 5) in Afrotherians
- Mir-1 variant with GG unpaired bulge observed, shared among Proboscidians

QC result: Pass.