via http://jstn.cc and NationalGeographic.com.The frozen body of a baby woolly mammoth discovered last year in Arctic Russia has provided the first detailed internal look at a prehistoric mammal, scientists report.
The oxygen-deprived environment of its final resting place, likely a watery marsh or bog, prevented decay and kept it intact save for only its tail and shaggy coat.
Estimated to be just three to four months old when it died, the female has now been returned to Russia from Japan after undergoing computer tomography (CT) scans.
The Jikei University School of Medicine in Tokyo produced 3-D images of Lyuba's innards, including her heart, liver, and other organs.
"Now we can see all the internal organs in their natural position inside the body," said study team member Alexei Tikhonov, deputy director of the Russian Academy of Science's Zoological Institute in St. Petersburg.
"We received very, very good results," he said, adding that Lyuba represents the best-preserved mammoth specimen so far found.
"This is really the first case where we can see the internal structure of an extinct animal."
It's so great to see science like this taking place. Imagine what we'd learn if we spent as much money on science as we do on defense. Hell, imagine what we'd learn if we spent half of what we spend on defense...
Priorities people, priorities...
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