SCIENCE CHANNEL GOES IN SEARCH OF WOOLLY MAMMOTHS AND OTHER CREATURES FROZEN IN TIME IN "LOST BEASTS OF THE ICE AGE" PREMIERING SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24 AT 8PM
(New York) - In an ambitious, new, cutting-edge Science Channel special, top scientists from around the world look to uncover extraordinary evidence into the lives of Ice Age animals, including the fabled woolly mammoth. The special will also explore whether these new discoveries, combined with the latest techniques in genetic science, could bring these long extinct animals back to life with the latest cloning techniques. The two-hour LOST BEASTS OF THE ICE AGE premieres Sunday, February 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
LOST BEASTS OF THE ICE AGE follows a team of international scientists including Dr. Tori Herridge, Paleontologist at the Natural History Museum in London, and Harvard Medical School Geneticist Professor George Church, on an expedition to seek out well-preserved remains of woolly mammoths, woolly rhino, wolves and cave lions that once roamed Siberia. Working in tunnels dug by locals on the hunt for valuable giant mammoth tusks, their findings may reveal extraordinary new evidence that could lead us closer to answering one of the biggest mysteries of the ice age - what caused the woolly mammoth to go extinct?
Professor Church and Dr. Love Dalen of the Swedish Museum of Natural History discovered DNA in excellent condition, which could speed up the cloning process. Also found was a thirty-thousand-year-old wolf from an extinct breed of ice age wolves. A part of this find suggests human activity as the head of the wolf appears to have been decapitated by hunters.
After gathering evidence in the field, the researchers then head back to their labs in London, Stockholm, Boston, Detroit and Maine, to assess the findings. What new light will they shed on the fates of these beasts and how they lived? And do the mammoth specimens have the well-preserved DNA needed to bring these majestic creatures back to life through gene editing?
"Pre-history and the Ice Age have been a core part of the Discovery legacy dating back to Raising The Mammoth in 2000 and with this special we continue to be the leader in focusing on these big questions of our past," said Marc Etkind, General Manager, Science Channel.
Dr. Tori Herridge, Palaeontologist of the Natural History Museum, continued: "The quest to understand the extinction of so many large animals at the end of the last ice age - and whether humans, or climate change, or both, were responsible - has never felt so important in a world where wildlife is under increasing threat."
Professor George Church, Geneticist, Harvard Medical School, talking about his plan to use genetic engineering to bring mammoths back to Siberia, said: "The project really feels like it's leaping forward. We didn't expect so many high-quality specimens. It's just very exciting."
LOSTS BEASTS OF THE ICE AGE is produced by Renegade Pictures for Science Channel. Executive producer for Renegade is Alan Hayling. Director is Nick Clarke Powell. Executive producer for Science Channel is Andrew O'Connell.
About Science Channel:
Science Channel, a multi-media business unit of Discovery, Inc. is the home of all things science around the clock, including series such as MYTHBUSTERS, OUTRAGEOUS ACTS OF SCIENCE, WHAT ON EARTH?, HOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS, UNEARTHED, and MYSTERIES OF THE ABANDONED. Science Channel's programming also includes timely, expert-driven specials covering breaking science news and discoveries. Science Channel is the premiere TV, digital and social community for those with a passion for science, space, technology, archeology, and engineering, providing immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment across all Science Channel assets including: Science Channel television network, available in more than 63 million homes in the U.S; complimentary Video On Demand offering; SCI Go app allowing viewers to catch up on full episodes of their favorite shows anytime; deep video, interactive storytelling and virtual reality at www.sciencechannel.com; and conversations on Science Channel's popular social platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat via @ScienceChannel.
About Discovery:
Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and nearly 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio of apps; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Eurosport Player and MotorTrend OnDemand; digital-first and social content from Group Nine Media and a strategic alliance with PGA TOUR to create the international home of golf. Discovery's portfolio of premium brands includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, and Science Channel, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visit https://corporate.discovery.com/ and follow @DiscoveryIncTV across social platforms.
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