Mammoths Had 'Anti-Freeze Blood'

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Mammoths had a form of 'anti-freeze blood' to keep their bodies supplied with oxygen at freezing temperatures. Nature Genetics reports that scientists 'resurrected' a woolly mammoth blood protein to come to their finding. This protein, known as haemoglobin, is found in red blood cells, where it binds to and carries oxygen.

The team found that mammoths possessed a genetic adaptation allowing their haemoglobin to release oxygen into the body even at low temperatures. This ability is generally inhibited by the cold.