INTRODUCTION
Woolly mammoths are members of the extinct genus, Mammuthus, which appeared in sub-Saharan Africa during the middle Pliocene epoch (approximately 3-4 million years ago) and included about 20 species. The woolly mammoth is the youngest of the Mammuthus species, evolving in Eurasia between 500 000 and 120 000 years ago, and later migrating to the Americas across the Bering Strait. Woolly mammoths were once the dominant herbivore of one of the largest biomes on Earth, but it appears that a combination of climate change and hunting by humans contributed to the extinction of the species circa 4000 years ago. Despite its prehistoric extinction, this species has exerted a charismatic hold on humans for some time. Recent scientific advancements have now reputedly made it possible to ‘bring back’ the ‘everlastingly charismatic woolly mammoth’4 in some form and reintroduce it to the environment through science …
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David M Doyle, Natallia Hlushchenko, Shane McCorristine and Kevin Healy, Should we patent the ‘Woolly Mammoth’? Ecological and animal welfare objections, Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice. Published: 19 December 2025.
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